Personal Development Interviews

It seems that, these days, everyone has an idea for a book. As small business owners, we’ve all accumulated a heck of a lot experience, both good and bad, and we want to share that with others. But next time someone talks to you about their book idea, dig a little deeper and find out where they’re at. The chances are they’ll be where you are with your idea: square one!

Even though our minds are bursting with ideas that could give other people real value, it can be difficult to know where to start with a book. As well as this lack of clarity over where to start, there’s all the other distractions and time commitments that are part and parcel of life as an entrepreneur. If we’re really serious about writing a book, what can we do to overcome these initial hurdles?

With us on this episode of Excellence Expected is award-winning entrepreneur, author and writing coach, Mindy Gibbins-Klein. Mindy knows from the personal experience of writing eight books the challenges involved in completing such a project. Not only that, but as the Book Midwife, she has helped hundreds of others realize their dreams. She’s guided many clients from initial idea to publication and she’s achieved fantastic results with her coaching programs.

So, if you have a great idea for a book, this is an episode that you won’t want to miss. Mindy’s actionable tips can be put into practice today and you can take the first steps toward publishing your own book and sharing your ideas and experiences with the world.

Issue Challenged in this Small Business Podcast:

How can I write, publish and market my own book?

About Mindy:

Mindy Gibbins-Klein is an award-winning entrepreneur, international speaker, thought leadership strategist and writing coach. Through her site, The Book Midwife, she’s helped hundreds of people get over the initial hurdles of writing their books and guided them all the way to publication.

Mindy’s here with us on this episode of your favourite small business podcast to share her wisdom and experience. She’ll also leave us with three actionable tips that you will help give you the clarity needed to plan and write your first book.

Actionable Tips:

* Learn to push your thinking. Most people don’t put a lot of thought into things. People throw together blogs, social media posts and content with not much thought. Pushing your thinking means using rigorous thought processes to achieve something that is original, exciting or maybe even ground-breaking.

* There is wisdom at the intersection of your knowledge, your passion and your clients’ needs. It’s about expressing your passion with your knowledge while considering the needs of your clients. If their needs are not considered, they won’t view your content as wisdom.

* Get a plan together and get writing. E.A.L thought leaders are out there writing and publishing right now. Reach, Engagement, Authority and Longevity. Thought leaders are people who are doing all four things.

Top Quotes:

* “There’s has to be enough passion around the subject to write a good book.”

* “I needed to stop listening to so-called experts because what they say is just an opinion.”

* “I think we coach and mentor people in the area of clarity. As that clarity improves and they get a better picture of what it is that they’re sharing, that builds confidence. The book starts to come together and that gives them a feeling of confidence. Clarity develops confidence.”

* “A 90 day programme is the best thing for the book.”

* “If you do things too quickly, they become just a snapshot of your thoughts.”

* “Before you create any content, you should have a thought leadership strategy. Creators of good content are willing to include their passion.”

Mindy’s Links:

Adversity is a part of life and it’s something that we all have to deal with. As small business owners, it can sometimes feel like we are having to deal with more than our fair share. The pressure can often seem insurmountable and if we let it get on top of us, we can suffer in each area of our lives.

Tough times, whether in our business or personal lives, are unavoidable. But there is always something to be learned from trying experiences. How, then, can we equip ourselves with the tools to make it through difficult periods while learning from them and improving ourselves.

With us on this episode of your favourite small business podcast is Sheryl Jones, the CEO and founder of Rodcor Services, which provides care for children and adults with disabilities in the Dallas area. Sheryl has earned the title of Queen of Hearts from her clients thanks to her positive approach to others, business and life.

Sheryl is going to be sharing her experiences with us and some actionable tips that we can implement to make the tough times a little easier to endure.

Issue Challenged in this Small Business Podcast:

How do we get through tough times and use the experience to grow?

About Sheryl:

Sheryl Jones is the founder and CEO of Rodcor Services, a leading care provider for children and adults with disabilities. She has worked in the field of social work for over 25 years and has earned the nickname of Queen of Hearts from her clients, customers and friends thanks to her approach to helping others.

Sheryl is here with us on your favourite small business podcast to talk about how we can not only get through the tough times, but also learn from them and become stronger as a result of the experience.

Actionable Tips:

* In order to really learn, we need to accept the good and the bad. Acceptance is the key to your future.

* Learn to Forgive. Don’t harbour any grudges or ill feeling towards others. It’s a waste of your time and energy. Move on with your life and remember that life should be joyous!

* More action, less thinking. Of course do your due diligence, but we can get caught up thinking and researching. Actions drive people and businesses forward.

Top Quotes:

* “I was seeing a lot of stressed out teachers, a lot of stressed out doctors, a lot of people who were working from day to day but they absolutely hate what they’re doing. I just think there’s a better way to live your life.”

* “Open minds attracts opportunities.”

* “Everybody’s going to experience something bad in their life. If you’re not right now, then it’s going to come one day so you’re going to need some skills and tools to help your deal with difficult situations.”

* “Stick to your plan but be flexible in your approach. You need to be able to change.”

* “If you can avoid some of the mistakes that I’ve made, then your life is going to be so much better. It’s all about sharing and having love for people.”

* “Just keep it moving! I’m willing to make the corrections and changes as I’m moving.”

* “You can recover from anything, nothing has to bring you completely down. Everything is a lesson, you can learn from anything. I encourage people to take time and look at their lives and see where they stand out. If you love people and you think you should be working with others, get out there and work with others. ”

* “If you expect great things, do great things. Become the person that you want to be.”

Sheryl’s Links:

* Sheryl’s Facebook: (https://www.facebook.com/sheryl.jones.908?fref=ts)

* Sheryl’s E-Mail: ([email protected])

Key Timestamps:

As small business owners, it’s easy to convince ourselves that we’re too busy for certain activities. One of the first things to get dropped from the schedule is exercise. It seems like a time luxury that we can ill afford so we get our heart rates up by taking difficult phone calls and expend our energy through all-nighters in the office.

Are we really that busy though? And is exercise something that has no relation to how we run our businesses? With us on this episode of your favourite small business podcast is Chris Brogan who has built a media empire, written eight bestsellers and created one of the most popular business podcasts all while making time to keep his mind and body in check with regular exercise.

A lot of people, especially small business owners, forget that one of the main benefits of regular exercise is the mental clarity that comes with it. We need that to be able to focus all of our concentration on tricky problems that we experience at work. Without exercise both our bodies and our minds can become lethargic, irritable and lacking in the spirit and vigour we need to succeed in life and business.

Issue Challenged in this Small Business Podcast:

How can we achieve focus, mental clarity and health benefits through exercise while running a small business?

About Chris:

Chris Brogan is a New York Times bestselling author, CEO of Owner Media Group, renowned public speaker and social media marketing guru. His books, sites and seminars have helped thousands of entrepreneurs and small business owners around the world thrive in their industries. He spoken for or consulted with some global brands such as Microsoft, Google, Disney, Coca-Cola, Sony and Cisco.

Chris is also the host of the hugely popular podcast, The Owner’s Mind. If that doesn’t sound busy enough, he’s also regularly in the gym. Chris is here with us on the number one small business podcast to discuss some of the benefits that small business owners can gain from regular exercise.

Actionable Tips:

* Allow no excuses. If you start letting excuses in for the gym, you’ll let excuses affect different areas of your life and business. Being disciplined at the gym is important as it’s a microcosm of life.

* Revisit what you eat. Take a photo of everything that you eat or drink for a week and you’ll probably find what you need to change.

* Get Lifting. Start off slow and don’t worry about the numbers. Just add 5 lbs a week to keep the resistance up. Learn proper form from a friend and focus with every rep.

Top Quotes:

* “Keeping a regimen in place has been really good for everything I do professionally because of everything that connects with it.”

* “I have a lot more strength, a lot more clarity of mind and lot more endurance to go through a long day without feeling especially tired.”

* “When people say that they can’t find time, what they’re really saying is that they’ve allocated that time to something else.”

* “There’s no virtue in having gone to the gym but there there’s definitely sin in having not lived to my plan.”

* “If you work to eliminate all excuses, all the time, you’ll find that there are a lot less reasons to not go to the gym.”

Chris’ Links:

* Chris’ Site (http://chrisbrogan.com/)

* Chris’ Twitter (https://twitter.com/chrisbrogan)

Key Timestamps:

* 01:06 Challenged Issue

* 01:34 Chris’ Introduction

* 03:16 The Business Benefits of Exercise

* 05:08 What’s the Best Workout?

* 06:40 A Typical Routine

* 08:33 Seeing a Project Through

* 09:37 Nutrition

* 12:19 Supplements

We often hear that businesses care about transparency, that they are investors in people and that their customers are number on. But once you get beyond the marketing and the clever copywriting, how many businesses have you experienced where this is actually the case?

Our guest for this episode of the number one small business podcast is Simon Biltcliffe, the managing director of Webmart. Listening to Simon’s laidback demeanour, you might not have guessed that he was the leader of a highly successfully and innovative business. Surely an MD or a CEO should be stressed out, knocking back coffees and chewing enough gum to give Sir Alex a run for his money? The difference between the stereotypical business leader and Simon is in how they choose to run their businesses.

Simon has created an environment where staff are empowered to find the correct role for them, where profits are shared between team members and charities and where happiness can be measured in real-time.

Simon’s here to give us the lowdown on how he got his people to buy in to this system and the benefits that a similar system could have for your small business.

Issue Challenged in this Small Business Podcast:

How can you scale your business by empowering your staff, inverting your management structure and thinking about things a little differently?

About Simon:

Simon Biltcliffe is the MD and chief strategist of Webmart as well as being a renowned speaker and expert in creating value for his customers, suppliers and employees.

Simon has grown a hugely successfully business while doing things a little bit differently. In this episode of your favourite small business podcast, he’s going to be sharing his experiences of inverted management structures and the benefits they could bring to your own small business.

Actionable Tips:

* Ask why you are in business. If you’re in business simply to make money for yourself, that’s fine but you can’t expect other people to be engaged with it. If that isn’t the reason, ask what is enough? What is enough for me? Decide what’s enough both for you personally and your organization.

* Work out your parameters. What are the ethics of the business? What’s important to you beyond a successful business? How could you empower your team?

* If people aren’t the right people for the business, you can’t have them on-board. A weight will be lifted from everyone. It’s rigorous, not ruthless.

Top Quotes:

* “If a business doesn’t have that human dimension, it doesn’t resonate with anybody.”

* “If you get an alignment that really means something to people, their family, the people around them and to the community. It you’re doing the right things for the right reason and delivering value to all. If you get that, you get alignment, you get motivation. You get all the stuff that you read books about. It comes as standard.”

* “We all need a feeling of belonging, we all need a feeling of appreciation. There’s a vision and a moral basis for what you do. Those are the two things that you need.”

* “Intellectual return, emotional return and financial return, in that order. Most companies go for ‘F’ first and ignore the rest.”

* “People who really care are amazingly powerful in the marketplace.”

* “Ideas are cheap, delivering them is really difficult.”

* “Having a trusting, transparent business is simple. There are no contrasting views on things. We share all of the notes from our board meetings with everyone in the business the next day. We have live metrics up on the board. We measure happiness every day and we measure the happiness of our customers and suppliers.”

* “This is an evolution, rather than a revolution. There’s still an awful lot of still that we know that we can improve...

It’s the age-old question, isn’t it? How do you achieve a balance between your family life and running a small business or startup? There is, of course, no perfect work-life balance. Everyone’s situation is different and there are too many variables to take into account in each individual case. What works for one person will not work for everyone else. In this episode of the number one small business podcast, we’re going to dig down into this most challenging of conundrums.

As small business owners, we’ll all have come across colleagues who have problems with this. An imbalance toward one thing or the other can create issues. If someone is too committed to the success of their business, it can create friction at home. Conversely, if the same person devotes too much time to their family, their business can suffer. Nobody wants either of these situations, so what’s the best way to make sure that both your business and family life are successful?

In this episode, we’re going to speak to Adam Farah who is performing this balancing act right now. As well as recently welcoming a baby daughter into the world, Adam is also the founder of an innovative new on demand roadside assistance service, Cavalry. Adam’s here to talk to us about his experience and his tips for making sure that you can get the most out of your family life while running a small business or startup.

Issue Challenged in this Small Business Podcast

How can you run a small business or startup with a family?

About Adam

Adam Farah formerly worked in the financial services industry but has recently taken the plunge into both family life and the world of startups. As well as being a father and husband, he is the founder of Cavalry, an on demand roadside assistance service. Adam came up with the idea when his pregnant fiancée was left waiting by one of the major recovery services. Since then, he’s devoted his time to creating a better way of connecting recovery operators and those in need of their services.

In this episode of your favourite small business podcast, Adam’s going to be talking about his experiences as both a startup founder and a family man. He knows from experience what it’s like to balance your passion for business with the love and responsibility of family life.

Actionable Tips

* Make sure you have a support network. Make sure that your partner, friends and family support your idea. Be honest with everyone.

* Keep family and work separate. That’s not to say don’t talk to your family about your business, but think long and hard about the balance. When you’re at home with your family, make sure you give them your full attention. When you’re at work, give your business your full attention. Giving either only half your attention is detrimental. You need to be able to switch channels.

* Get good at shortcuts. It’s a great idea to delegate tasks. Find services and freelancers to help you with menial or time-consuming tasks. If you find the right services, you’ll save time and money.

Top Quotes

* “On demand is more than a model for success, it’s a model for a brand new type of economy.”

* “You need to keep your work and your family separate. You need to make sure you are in the right headspace before you tackle a startup or any new business.”

* “I segregate my days, I look at the week ahead and categorise my activities. You need to make sure you have defined paths for the week and you need to make sure that you stick them.”

* “It’s really a case of looking into the future, looking at where you want to be and making your to-do list and defining your path to reach that future.”

* “It’s a case of making sure you can provide your family with a business that they can see working and once they see that they will dive in with both feet.

Freelancing offers us the chance to use our specialist skills and interests to succeed in business, but it can also be one of the toughest ways in which to be a small business owner. We’re relying on ourselves to handle every aspect of business from creating content and products to marketing and promotions. Finding clients is one thing, but finding the best clients to work for, and build your small business around, is a whole other challenge. What’s the best way to zero in on these top clients?

In this episode of your favourite small business podcast, we’re going to be speaking with illustrator and art-director, Ben Tallon. Since leaving university, Ben has built an incredibly successful freelance business and has worked with a wide range of prestigious clients in a number of disciplines. He is now internationally renowned for his work in the art, music, film, TV and print worlds. He’s been through the ups and downs of freelancing so his expertise and advice are certainly valuable to any of us looking to go down the freelancing route.

Issue Challenged in this Small Business Podcast

How can we get the desired clients for our businesses?

About Ben

Ben is an illustrator and art-director who has worked with such illustrious clients as the BBC, WWE, The Premier League, Universal, The Guardian, Channel 4, The Rugby Football League, Arsenal F.C. and many more.

He is also the author of Champagne and Wax Crayons: Riding the Madness of the Creative Industry, an honest look at the many ups and downs of working as a freelancer in the creative industries.

Actionable Tips

* Don’t overlook the things you do for pleasure. Our hobbies and interests are important and you can always look for ways to incorporate them into your work.

* Focussed promotions go a long way. If you want to work with a client, ask yourself what you can do that will make their life a little bit easier and then let them know. Take some time to personalize your approach.

* Listen to everyone. Keep your mind open to advice and ideas from those around you. Everyone can offer a different perspective that you might not be able to see.

Top Quotes

* “There are some rare full-time positions for illustrators, but you tend to be a tool for someone else’s ideas and that’s not why I got into this business.”

* “It’s sink or swim, to a degree. But, I realized what I could offer clients and I just knocked on doors to let them know that I existed.”

* “To some creatives, the word ‘business’ can come across as salt to a slug, but I never felt that way. I knew that being a ‘one man band’ was how it was going to work for me.”

* “After getting the first commission, I realized that I needed to use what I knew and things started to fall into place.”

* “You have to trust that it’s going to happen because what else are you going to do?”

* “It’s as much about what you turn down as what you take on.”

* “When, and more importantly, how, to say no is an important lesson for everyone to learn.”

* “You have to listen to people who surround you and are willing to give advice and share experiences.”

* “Taking a genuine interest in people is the best marketing you can do.”

* “You can reach out to pretty much anyone and as long as you are genuine and decent, people will want to get involved.”

Ben’s Links

* Twitter: (https://twitter.com/bentallon)

* Website: (http://bentallon.com/)

* Champagne and Wax Crayons: Riding the Madness of the Creative Industry

Key Timestamps

* 00:35 Challenged Issue

* 01:25 Ben’s Introduction

We live in an increasingly connected world and it’s never been easier for us to make contact with others around the globe. Whether you want to make new contacts in your industry or niche, or if you want make connections with people who work outside your own field, technology has revolutionised this process.

However, the very systems that make this possible have also created a world in which we all seem permanently busy. We fire off hundreds of e-mails a week, take countless calls and scan through our social media accounts day and night. But, how much do we really listen to those around us? And how supportive of our friends and colleagues are we?

For all of us, but especially entrepreneurs, it’s easy to switch off as others seek help with a problem. I think we’re all guilty of this to an extent, especially when we’re trying to manage our own businesses. We have too much for ourselves to worry about, without taking on the problems of others. Does this lead to long-lasting, mutually beneficial relationships though?

In this episode of the number one small business podcast, we’re speaking to former NBC and Wall Street Journal reporter Kare Anderson about how mutuality can help us forge relationships that will not only help our businesses but also improve our lives. Kare’s current area of expertise is connective behaviour and how it affects people and businesses. Her TED talk on this subject was hugely influential and she now covers this topic for Forbes and Huffington Post.

Kare believes that mutuality can help build and improve relationships. Changing a contact into an ally is a powerful transition. And the more that we help our allies, the more support, opportunities and connections we will receive in return. The more allies we make in different niches, the bigger our web of connectivity grows. Finding a sweet spot of mutual interest is the first step to forging a lasting, mutually beneficially alliance.

Issue Challenged in this Small Business Podcast Episode: How can we forge relationships that help us navigate the increasingly complex aspects of living in a connected world?

About Kare:

Kare Anderson is an Emmy award-winning former NBC and Wall Street Journal reporter. She currently works as a columnist for Huffington Post and Forbes magazine with a focus on connective behaviour.

Her TED talk, The Web of Humanity: Becoming an Opportunity Maker has been viewed more than a million times and her books have helped thousands of people around the world learn how to forge mutually beneficial relationships that create real benefits for their lives and businesses.

Kare has also worked as a public speaker for a vast array of clients including Novartis, Salesforce and The Skoll Foundation.

Actionable Tips:

* Find allies who are different from yourself but with whom you share a sweet spot of mutual interest. Reach out, learn about them and be there to provide ideas and support.

* Be a favourite subject matter expert to a columnist or blogger in the world you seek to serve. Connect with them, cite them in your own work or offer up different perspectives on issues that they may be writing about. Pull them in by providing insight as opposed to pushing them away by demanding attention.

* Be quoted more frequently. You can achieve this by using the AIR formula. A – Is your message Actionable? I – Is your message Interesting enough to warrant people’s attention. Is it a unique perspective or does it contain something startling that will grab their attention? R – Does your message have Relevance? Are you speaking directly to something that’s already on their mind? AIR – Actionable. Interesting. Relevant.

Top Quotes:

* “Listening is an act of love. Let people talk and find sweet spots of mutual interest.”

Having a great idea is one thing, but getting it out there and making sure it’s being heard by the intended audience is quite another. The tools that have allowed us to spread our ideas more easily have also made it more difficult to be heard. We’re all exposed to a torrent of media on a daily basis, so how can we stand out?

We live in an increasingly noisy world and our attention is being demanded from every direction. Having a breakthrough idea is difficult enough, but these days, it’s only half the battle. How do successful entrepreneurs, thought leaders and community figureheads not only develop life-changing concepts, but communicate them effectively so that they’re not lost among the white noise of modern life?

For her latest book, Stand Out: How to Find Your Breakthrough Idea and Build a Following Around It Dorie has been speaking with some of the world’s foremost thought leaders on just this topic. In this episode, she will be sharing some of her valuable insights with us.

She’s found that to be really influential in your professional sphere or particular industry, you don’t need to formulate an original idea or invent a new product. You can popularise an idea that has been overlooked or synthesise concepts to create something new, captivating and valuable for your audience.

The second part of the conundrum of the breakthrough idea is creating a community of followers who will act as a ‘legion of ambassadors’ and help further promote it. This is something that can put people off for a number of reasons.

Firstly, as mentioned before, everything in our lives is becoming faster and more convenient. So, the idea of spending a year, two years or five years creating a following for your idea can seem daunting. Secondly, we often look at successful people who are much further along a particular timeline from ourselves. The success that may have taken ten years to create appears effortless as we haven’t seen all of the blood, sweat and tears that have gone into ensuring that success.

This can discourage us from trying, but it should be remembered that all of these success stories started somewhere. Maybe in a year, two years or even ten years, you will look back on today as the day your success story began.

About Dorie:

Dorie is an author, marketing strategist, consultant and renowned public speaker. Her work has been featured in TIME, Harvard Business Review and Entrepreneur. She’s also the author of two ground-breaking books, Reinventing You and Stand Out, which have helped thousands of professionals around the world better identify and develop their unique brands and ideas as well as how to make them stand out.

She is also an adjunct professor of Business Administration at Duke University, has taught at Emerson College, Tufts and Suffolk University and guest lectured at such esteemed institutions as Harvard Business School, NYU and MIT’s Sloan School of Management. She has worked as a consultant and speaker for clients as diverse as Yale University, Google, Morgan Stanley, the World Bank and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

In addition to that already hugely impressive CV, she’s also an award winning journalist, one of Forbes “25 Professional Networking Experts to Watch in 2015” and has appeared regularly on NPR, MSNBC and the BBC.

Issue Challenged in this Small Business Podcast Episode:

In this small business podcast episode, we challenge the problem of how to find your breakthrough idea and how to build a loyal following around it.

Dorie’s Actionable Tips:

* Use a niche strategy. Don’t attempt to stand out in too broad a field. Narrow it down and become an expert in a particular niche. This is a fantastic way to establish yourself quickly and...

We all have heard the phrase: work/life balance. But in real life, it doesn’t work like that. You need to adjust the scales as necessary. Instead of balance, find harmony.

How can you raise great kids when you are an entrepreneur or business owner? How do you know what you need to give to your family?

Treat your kids just as good and with as much time and respect as you do your clients! When you are so focused on work, you forget and neglect people in your life. We need to prioritize our relationships. We choose to have kids, so we have to set time aside for them. Time we spend with our kids needs to be quality time. We need to let them know we care and are there to listen to them. The time that you build with your child builds bonds and relationships. That time will pay dividends down the road.

Be a role model. Show them that you have a purpose in life – at work and at home. Instill your values in your kids and that will help them when making decisions. You want your kids to grow up to be creative, innovative, as well as able to express themselves and make smart choices.

Also, create a ritual of having a family meeting on a regular basis to identify your family values and mission. Then all family decisions are based on them. Put in the same effort you put into a business!

Next, how can you give your employees a better life? More time at home? A positive work culture?

* Create environments that are family friendly.

* Create a mission statement and set of values that are family friendly.

These efforts make better people and better employees!

About Deborah:

Deborah C. Owen is an author, speaker, and parent and life coach in Massachusetts. She also earned National Board Certification after many years as a public school library teacher. Combining her personal experience of raising three children to young adulthood, along with her years of working with teens in public schools, Deborah is now a parent coach.

This role helps her have greater impact on the success and well-being of kids, by empowering their parents with effective parenting skills. Deborah is the Founder of YouCanRaiseGreatKids.com and is available for coaching and speaking appointments. Her book is Social Media Fascination.

Challenged Issue:

In this podcast, we challenge the issue of how to raise great kids will running a business, as well as how to spend more time at home and build better relationships with your kids that will help you to be more effective at work.

Deborah’s Actionable Tips:

* Manage your own emotions before helping your child calm down. Use the A to E method of calm parenting in the heat of the moment.

A - Aware

B - Breathe

C - Calmly connect; go to ZEN place

D - Discuss – Once calm, what was the trigger? “I notice that when…then you…”

E - Empathize - “Yes, that sounds like it must be frustrating for you.” Or, “I understand that that might make someone upset.” Everyone wants to be heard!

* Re-establish the relationship with your child based on better connection. Here's how to connect.

- Don't offer advice or judgment; offer empathy and active listening!

- Rather than focusing on outcomes, focus on process: “That sounds like it was hard. Was it a good test?”; “Where did you get stuck?”; “I loved how you really hustled on the field!”; “I know you have been working really hard at this.”; and “When were you most focused while you were preparing?”

- When asked for advice, ask: “What have you already tried?” When have you faced a similar problem and solved it? What did you do then?” Brainstorm more solutions.

* You are the “conductor.” Use the "3 Cs": Control (manage) your emotions; Connect with your kids; and Conduct your family from the...

What do you do when things go wrong - when the sh*t hits the fan? How do you deal with it in a way that benefits your business?

Everyone makes mistakes, but it's not about what went wrong, but about what you do as a result to improve.

A working mentality and mindset is important. Things can be going crazy and there is immense pressure, but if you deal with it properly through your demeanour and personality, you are on the right path.

Ask yourself these questions:

* Did I do that?

* Is it my fault?

* How do I fix it?

It is tough to overcome the humility of making a mistake or trying to save face around others about your mess. If you are in a bad and foul mood because of a problem or mistake, don’t let everyone around you sense that frustration and anger. Don’t bring everyone down. Don’t make others feel bad because of your actions. Also, don’t pass the buck and blame someone else.

Some ways to handle mistakes and what went wrong:

* Evaluate what lead to the problem (identify what went wrong and when)

* Write/document about it

* Use someone as a soundboard

* Ask for help if you need it

* Give feedback in a constructive and well-mannered way.

Take a breath and re-focus rather than following your first reaction, which is to react. You don’t necessarily need an instant fix. Once you take some time, solutions will come to your mind. Then you can change mountains to molehills.

* Do something you enjoy

* Take a walk

* Do anything to lift that black cloud

It is easy to forget about all the things that have been done well when you focus on what went wrong. You will look back at mistakes and problems only to realize they were not that bad after all!

About Daniel:

Daniel is the co-founder and technical director of DMSQD, a design and digital agency.

Challenged Issue:

In this podcast, we challenge the issue of what to do when the sh*t hits the fan – when everything goes wrong – and how to learn from that and recover while embracing humility.

Daniel’s Actionable Tips:

* Remember what happened, but especially what you did afterwards, and importantly, how you felt.

* No one gets it right the first time. Allow yourself to adapt and react to improve.

* Right things, draw things out, or go skydiving - just get it out. This will give you clarity. 

Top Quotes:

* “We all make mistakes…in varying degrees of severity.”

* “Things are going to go wrong. It’s inevitable.”

* “Regardless of who did it, it’s fixing an issue going forwards.”

* “Nobody else sees whatever is being this monumental problem that you have had.”

* “It’s got to be about learning from what you’re doing.”

* “Your first reaction is to react.”

* “It’s getting over the fact that you do one wrong thing and that’s not the end of your life.”

* “Nobody wants that black mark.”

* “Nothing is perfect, and it never will be.”

* “You don’t learn anything being a Peter Perfect.”

Guest Links:

* HACKSAW™ (http://www.hacksawstudio.com/)

* Daniel Maw on Twitter (https://twitter.com/daniel_maw)

* Fancy Dan (http://www.fancy-dan.co.uk) 

Resources:

* Edward Townend (http://twitter.com/edwardtownend)

* The Strangest Secret (http://amzn.to/1Co8mI8)

* Mark Asquith Twitter (https://twitter.com/MrAsquith)