72 Personal Accountability Tips for Solopreneurs Strategies & Tactics For Women

When you are the boss and have no one to answer to but yourself, there may be times when getting things done, especially the undesirable tasks, can be challenging.  We have all faced that challenge at one time or another, so last week we asked -

As a solo entrepreneur, what single best strategy do you use to hold yourself accountable?

Judging by the wonderful and creative responses we received, this is a common issue solo entrepreneurs must tackle, no matter how seasoned they are in business. The tips ranged from variations on list making, finding accountability partners, and maintaining a positive attitude, to getting things done for the love of delicious cuisine, chocolate and even shoes. If you have been struggling with your accountability lately, I hope that you will find a solution to implement from these great suggestions. They certainly got me thinking about new strategies I could try in my own business.
 Our sincere gratitude to the 72 entrepreneurs who were kind enough to post their stories. Openly sharing your expertise and experiences is a huge asset to this blog and the readership. I wish you all a wonderful week and hope to see you here again.
If you would like to contribute to this week’s question, be sure to scroll all the way to the bottom of this post to find out how you can get involved.  We’d love to have you on a future post!
Enjoy!

	1. Pay The Bills, Pay Yourself One of the hardest challenges I used to face as a solopreneur was paying the bills. Finding the time to actually sit down and write all those checks, put them in envelopes, lick the stamp and get them off in the mail takes time I didn’t have. I decided I’d block an hour on my calendars on Fridays to pay the bills. Even doing that didn’t always help. Since I knew I am motivated by reward, I told myself that after bills were paid, I’d write myself a check for the week. That if I didn’t spend the time paying the bills, I couldn’t have a paycheck. It worked, since I wanted to get paid, I made sure I got all the bills sent out before writing my own check. Thanks to Angela Nielsen of One Lily Creative Agency
	2. Accountability Tip Being a solo entrepreneur, in order for me to maintain my focus and stay on track with my goals/progress, I have an accountability partner. It’s easy to slack off when you do not have anyone to answer to. I found a like-minded entrepreneur and we decided to be each other’s accountability partner. We write out what we want to accomplish for the month and meet at the end of month to see if we completed our goals. If we do not complete our goals/tasks we have to pay a $50 fine. Needless to say, the pot is still empty. Thanks to Mattie Stevenson of Above & Beyond Marketing And Event Management, LLC
	3. Getting It All Done – My Way! Even though I am a solo entrepreneur, I run my business as a big company. I have a completely virtual staff, made up of professionals in the marketing area, which include writers, strategists, graphic & web designers and the best of all – virtual assistants. We have a team of gifted people who step in so I have ways to get all work done on time and with complete control of it all. I use a to-do list in my Outlook and start each day reviewing. I make sure I take care of what I can and then transfer what I don’t do to the next day. I also number them 1 – 10, showing what is of most importance, dated and this way no deadlines are missed. Thanks to Gayle Naftaly of Access.office
	4. Anything For Closure! When I was in graduate school and nothing ever seemed to be over, I learned two things: 1) Washing dishes could successfully convince me – even for a moment – that there was such a thing as closure. 2) If I write a list of all the things I need to do in the minutest detail and then, one by one, cross them off, I can get through any task. No matter how undesirable. In fact, particularly the undesirable ones – if for no other reason than I’m so happy to see them crossed off the list. One other thing: Write the list on paper. It doesn’t work as well online. The physical action of writing and then crossing off has its own satisfaction – but even better are the number of times (which are a lot!) that I revisit the list just to see those crossed off items. Then I smile! Thanks to Leslie L Kossoff of The Kossoff Group – Confidential Advisors To Executives And Entrepreneurs
	5. In A Word: Deadlines! I am accountable to my clients, not just myself; one way I make sure I stay on track is to instill tight deadlines on myself to present work to my clients, submit their stories or press releases, send final copy to the art director, etc. Every project has a deadline and I make sure to keep them tight, but manageable. That way I get the work done (on time) and keep my clients happy because they see their projects are taking priority with me. I also stick to a daily to-do list which includes everything from phone calls to copy revisions and revise it daily, as needed. I refer to it constantly, it’s my road map. Thanks to Caryn Starr-Gates of STARRGATES BUSINESS COMMUNICATIONS
	6. Swallow That Frog! Among his many pithy observations, this one from Mark Twain forces me to get the undesirable tasks done first: “If you have to swallow a frog, don’t stare at it too long.” The energy released from having completed a difficult task sustains me for the rest of the day and makes everything that follows seem easy-to-do, by comparison. If the first-task-of-the-day was especially onerous, I will even go so far as rewarding myself before tackling the more-desirable tasks. Thanks to Dr. Marlene Caroselli of Center For Professional Development
	7. Reward Thyself When a stack of receipts are staring at me to be organized for expenses, it’s the last thing that I want to tackle as a small business owner. The one way I’ve found to incent myself with those undesirable tasks is to set a reward. For instance, I might be interested in purchasing an inspirational book such as Katie Couric’s The Best Advice I Ever Got: Lessons from Extraordinary Lives. When my expenses are done, I’ll give myself permission to click “Add to Cart” on Amazon. Thanks to Eileen Schlesier of SleeveShirt Consulting LLC
	8. The Carrot And The Stick I spend most of my day at my desk, trying to get things done. I’m pretty sure I’ll never reach the bottom of my to-do list — but there are things that have to get done. When I’m having a hard time motivating myself to complete a particular task, I find a way to reward myself for getting it done. If it’s something decidedly annoying, I might let myself watch a favorite movie after my work is done or set up a dinner out with my husband. Having a reward helps me avoid the feeling that all I ever do is the unfun parts of my work. Thanks to Thursday Bram of Hyper Modern Consulting
	9. Strategy For Getting Things Done My strategy for getting things done can be summed up by this: nothing else gets done until my business in-box is empty and all phone messages returned. Each morning at around 8 AM I deal with any questions or complaints on previous orders. No one with a problem wants to feel ignored. Then I respond to inquiries from prospective customers. Then I process the new orders so they are ready for carrier pickup. Once the priorities are taken care of, I deal with the rest of the email and check my personal email. I keep my business email open on the screen and respond as quickly as messages come in. That way, there is rarely a backlog. Customers have commented on how quickly I respond. Thanks to Izzy Goodman of Complete Computer Services
	10. Be Productive! Make a daily list of ”Things to Do”. Start with the undesirable tasks first. Thanks to Michele Benza of Michele Benza, Image Consulting & Posture
	11. Get On A Plane Yes, as crazy as this sounds it seems when I have a ton of stuff to accomplish and have all the time in the world it takes forever and I procrastinate. And when I have a place to go out of town, then I move the world. It’s all about creating tension or pressure, it moves the earth and it moves me. I make decisions faster, I get the job done in record time. Things become crystal clear and the priorities stand out. It works every time and is my winning formula. It’s like playing a game and a game has a time limit, 4 quarters, 2 hours whatever the measurement it is sure to get you movin’ and groovin’ on the task. A WIN for your team! Thanks to Beverly Dombroski of BeverlyD Alive Healthy Hair
	12. The Laying On Of Hands When I am staring at the prospect of taking on disagreeable task, I imagine it as a physical “thing,” – a boulder, for example. I then imagine myself walking up to it, placing my hands on either side of it, and driving all of my energy into it so that it disintegrates before my eyes. I then imaging myself walking through the space that it once occupied. This gives me the impetus to get started. Then I immediately plan how I am going to reward myself when I’m done. Lately, French chocolate has served as my inspiration! A glass of champagne before dinner does wonders as well! Thanks to Monique Y. Wells of Understanding Time Management
	13. Beyond The To-do List… To stay accountable and get things done, I look past the “to-do” and at the result: - Why am I doing this task? - What will it create for my business? - How will it rock my clients’ world and thrill them? - How awesome will it be when it’s done? Sometimes I have to get a little creative with the answers… but this strategy of looking past the item on the to-do list to what’s going to happen when I complete it is pretty good for keeping me accountable, motivated and moving! Thanks to Erin Ferree of BrandStyle Design
	14. See The Big Picture When I was a retail sporting goods manager, my supervisor would always say “As a manager, if you’re doing the things you like to do, you’re probably doing the wrong things.” That was a reminder that being “the boss” often requires us to do the unpleasant and undesirable tasks, and if we don’t do them, the consequences can be staggering. I hold myself accountable by using look-up notes on my computer and I always See the Big Picture, or the goals I have. I think about the end result, and remind myself that if the day-to-day routines aren’t completed, I most likely won’t achieve the goals I am striving for. Often times I will reward myself for completing tasks (ie., an extra latte for completing a job). I have pictures of my family on my screen saver as a reminder of who I am working for! Thanks to Jason Coleman of Discovering Your Amazing Marriage
	15. Keeping Your Success In Mind It is easy to get lazy and complacent. But when you work for yourself you cannot afford to be complacent. The onus is on you to get even the hard tasks done. One day when you are wildly successful you will be able to hire someone to do many of them for you. But let’s face it, there are always tasks in work that you have to do that you don’t want to do, otherwise it would not be work. Always keep your success in your mind. If you let the little things slip, you might just be letting your success slip. Sometimes you just have to buckle down and do it. I set a day of the week dedicated to doing tasks I don’t like to do. That way it is all done on one day and the rest of the week is devoted to the parts I like. Keep your success in mind and just get it done! Thanks to Lauren MacEwen of SM Cubed Consulting
	16. Eat The Big Green Frog Believe it or not, holding yourself accountable and moving forward with urgency, particularly while attempting to complete undesirable tasks, are the most important disciplines to conquer. So I suggest you begin each day by Eating the Big Green Frog. That would equate to finding the most undesirable task on your “to do” list each day and doing it first. Think about it; if you spend the whole day waiting to eat that frog, how much more difficult it becomes to eat. The frog only gets bigger, greener and more slimy the longer you wait. Yuck; why not go ahead and just do it, get past it, and use the momentum to move forward with ever greater determination. The rest of the tasks will be easy in comparison. Set your disciplines on achieving more and do it with urgency. You’ll surprise even yourself. Thanks to Tony Marder of ActionCOACH
	17. Make A List And Stick To It When I am getting lazy and don’t want to do the tasks I dislike (finances), I make a to do list and stick to it every day. It is the only way to really keep track of all the work that has to get done and to not let the “fun” tasks fall by the waste side. Thanks to Sheena Edwards of Lizzie Lou Shoes
	18. Promise Yourself A Latte! I’ve learned to place a time on my calendar to do the “undesirable tasks” followed by a treat or a little time for myself. Delayed gratification does work! Thanks to Sharon Gilchrest O’Neill, Ed.S., LMFT O’Neill, Ed.S., LMFT of Private Practice, Marriage & Family Therapy
	19. In Your Face Entrepreneurship can be an island existence, lacking opportunities to gain honest feedback from others. That’s why it’s critical that you give someone outside your business (whose opinion you respect) the permission to get in your face. Make clear that you want them to hold you accountable to what you say you want to do and who you claim you want to be. It can be a tough role, so choose wisely and listen well. Thanks to Clifford A. Bailey of TechSoft Systems, Inc.
	20. Dealing With The Undesirables My one best strategy for getting undesirable tasks done is to just do it. It may not be pleasant at the time, but I know it is good for business in the long run. So my philosophy is, just like medicine – swallow it! Thanks to Jennifer Chiongbian of Rutenberg Realty
	21. You Have To Measure In Minutes When Time Is Money I run a media relations and marketing consulting business, which means I wear many hats – PR pitchman, copy writer, consultant, marketing strategist, you name it. I also use different billing models with clients, although most of the time clients are billed by the project or on retainer. However, I still use billable time to gauge productivity and accountability. A practice learned in my agency days, I keep track of how much time is allocated for each task for each client. Even though I don’t share the timesheets with the clients, using a billable time model helps me keep track of all activities, and I can use time allocated per client to gauge who is being over-serviced, which means it’s time to renegotiate the contract. It’s the best way to make sure time is money. Thanks to Tom Woolf of Woolf Marketing & Media
	22. Will Work For A Spa Day As a busy mom of 3 and a Solopreneur, I would not survive without my to-do lists! To keep myself on task, I set goals and make myself “earn” free time. For example, after I complete 3 things on my list, I can take a lunch break. Or if I complete all the things on my list before a certain time, I can take an hour off to sit by the pool and read. Beating yourself up for procrastinating does not inspire motivation. It much nicer to “earn” a pedicure! Thanks to Karen Hoxmeier of MyBargainBuddy.com
	23. Calendar All Daily And Weekly Tasks As an independent contractor, I use Google Calendar to schedule all my daily and weekly tasks, just as if I worked at a company. I leave my calendar open all day as I work from home, and I see reminders about tasks that I need to complete. That way, no task gets overlooked, I keep up with my deadlines and make sure even the projects I am not eager to work on get done. Thanks to Kristina Cutura of AdWords Cafe, LLC
	24. Are We There Yet? Are We There Yet? The only thing in the world that has more energy, or can be more annoying, than my six-year-old is his four-year-old brother. So I have harnessed their energy to help me in my endeavors. If and when we achieve my goals for the business we will go to Disney. Could you tell a six and a four-year-old they aren’t going to see Mickey because you didn’t do what you needed to? That there is no vacation because you didn’t finish your job? Believe me, they ask EVERY DAY if I have reached my goal yet. Annoying, and utterly effective as motivation. Thanks to Joe Templin of The Unique Minds Consulting Group, LLC
	25. Get ‘Er Done With A Sweet Reward! When I have a very challenging task, I do it first thing in the day to get it over with and reward myself with a piece of chocolate. Thanks to Maureen Daniek of Radiance Coaching And Consulting
	26. Make A List And Check It Twice Self-discipline is the hardest task for solo-preneurs. My best secret is to make a short list (not the long to-do) of 3-5 tasks that must be accomplished for the next day. First thing in the office is to review the list and the schedule and determine when those tasks will be completed. Check them off as they are done. Last item of the day is to make tomorrow’s list. Simple, straightforward and effective! Thanks to Angie Segal of ActionCOACH
	27. Time Is Money! As an entrepreneur, I have learned the key to holding yourself accountable is measuring how you utilize time. Time is the one commodity you cannot get back, so utilizing it effectively to achieve your goals is crucial. I set my daily schedule on both my day planner and my phone. I set the alarm on my phone to remind me that it is time to go on to the next plan of the day. I make sure that the day starts with the things that require the most attention — high priority order. Then I wind the day down to doing the daily clean up with the things that are not date/time sensitive. Make sure you use your time wisely! Thanks to Carol Sankar of Carol Sankar Enterprises
	28. When Going It Alone, Don’t Go It Alone My best strategy for attacking “business” tasks instead of doing what I want is to keep in touch with a close friend who’s also an entrepreneur. We’re in fields that are only tangentially related, but there are still enough commonalities that we speak the same language and share the same fears. While I might be happy to spend the day on parts of the job that I enjoy, he’ll call me up at least once a week and ask, “So what’s your next step in your financial plan?” Sigh. Back to business! Having another entrepreneur – especially a friend – who will keep me accountable has definitely helped ensure the undesirable tasks get done. Thanks to Keith Fuller of Fuller Game Production
	29. One Day A Week To Goof Off I allow myself one day of the week, typically Friday to leave work early, go in late or take our employees to lunch on a whim. Giving myself one “fun” day a week is enough of a perk for me to stay motivated the rest of the time while still enjoying the benefit of being my own boss. Thanks to Brina Bujkovsky of Personalized Wedding Gifts
	30. “JUST DO IT!” Each day; 1) I list all the phone calls that need to be made in priority order and then 2) I list all the chores that need to be done and then 3) I then just start at the top of each list, and I JUST DO THEM! ALWAYS REMEMBER: The way out, is thru, NOT around. Nothing goes away by itself – I make it go away! I make it happen! And the sooner I do it, the sooner the universe will cooperate with me and then I can move forward from there! Thanks to Harris Glasser of Serving The People Press LLC
	31. Personal Accountability Tips For Solopreneurs Starting out as a solopreneur 3 years ago involved extreme discipline. The team was me, myself and I as I looked into the mirror. What kept me on target were goals. The goals were broken down into small chunks that I could achieve each day or week. The time was set aside to accomplish those goals and the discipline to know the end result I wanted. Also, having someone else to be accountable to each week. You will often excuse yourself, however when someone else keeps you on track – you make it happen. Thanks to Janna Hoiberg of ActionCOACH
	32. Schedule Your Undesirable Tasks When faced with task that I don’t like to do, I schedule it into my schedule so it will get done. I hate filing, but filing is a necessary evil. Scheduling the task gets me ready for it and it will get done. Thanks to Eula M. Young, COO of Griot’s Roll Film Production & Services Inc.
	33. Your Business Is A Business To me the most important accountability standard is simply treating your business like a business, acting just as you would act if a boss were watching. Personally, I’m up early and start working around 6:00 AM. The next three hours are often the most productive since I’m usually uninterrupted. Then I break for about a half hour for breakfast at 9:00 AM and break again at 1:45 for lunch. I usually stop whenever I’ve got a good stopping point around 6 PM. Thanks to Barry Maher of Barry Maher & Associates
	34. Prize for a Job Well Done As a solo entrepreneur I am challenged daily to stay on point to get my work done. I have discovered that offering myself a prize for getting a task done works. For example, if I have a piece of jewelry to make, I will design and create the piece and then allow myself to have coffee with a friend as a break. Knowing I am going to have some company lets me finish my job happily. I also make priority lists. Each time I finish a task on my list I do something like exercise to celebrate having finished a chore. I also make lists that are manageable so that I know that I can finish all the jobs on it in a workday. Thanks to Jacqueline Gikow of ChelseaRainbow
	35. Do It Now! As a solopreneur, I know that I am responsible for getting the work done (A) ASAP and (B) Right the first time. As Yoda said, “there is no try, only do!” Since I am a perfectionist, I promise myself small rewards for doing the things I like least to do first. Rewards such a walk or run in the sunshine, a call to a friend, a glass of ice-cold Crystal Light. These treats may sound unexciting to the rest of the work world, but for me it is the small things in life that are the most enjoyable and that add to a perfect work day. I was living by my mantra of Do It Now long before Nike was in business. Thanks to Vicki Donlan of VickiDonlan
	36. Become The Squeaky Wheel When you are the boss and have no one to answer to but yourself, there are times when you have to get things done that you dread having to do. One of those things is managing your credit risk, and dealing with customers that pay late or don’t pay at all. One strategy to hold yourself accountable is to keep the lines of communication open with those customers and call or visit them as soon as they are just a little bit past due. If you keep in mind that your cash is your biggest asset, that will motivate you to keep the cash coming in – resulting in you taking maybe one day a week to deal with the accounts that have fallen behind. If you can’t pay your bills on time, your business will suffer and that will hold you accountable! Thanks to Michelle Dunn of Michelle Dunn Writer, LLC
	37. My Shoe Account Running a marketing consulting company can be fun at times, but often tedious, lonely, and full of time-consuming administration. Aside from my whiteboards and sticky lists, I have a special shoe account. My book royalties go to a separate bank account and I use those proceeds to buy shoes. It’s a way to reward myself with something of a luxury, but also helps me feel less resentful when a client is difficult or the work is just plain yucky. I work to feed my family and provide all good things for their happiness. My shoe account is for me. You might say it gives me the accountability kick in the butt I need every now and again to get things done Maybe that’s why I am on my 4th book thus far! Thanks to Alyssa Dver of Mint Green Marketing
	38. No Meals Until You’re Done! My best strategy to get things done and holding myself accountable has to do with something I love: food. First, I break each and every day into two parts: what I get done before lunch and what I get done before dinner. So my rule is that I can’t eat lunch or dinner if I have not done what I set out to do for that portion of the day. I enjoy food and have always lived and worked in cities with great cuisine, so this is great motivation for me. My tip for others is to figure out what you like or enjoy outside of work, and then set priorities and the accomplishment of your goals around that. Thanks to Mike Sprouse of mikesprouse.com
	39. The Buddy System We all know how hard it is to stay motivated especially when you are doing it alone. Just like with losing weight, I recruited an “Accountability Partner”. A sole entrepreneur herself (different field), we are each other’s first phone call of the morning and last phone call at night. We keep each other motivated, on track and focused. Don’t do it alone! Thanks to Leslie Josel of Order Out Of Chaos
	40. Procrastination Is A Time And Mind Drainer I think most of us have a tendency to do the things we enjoy first and save the things we hate to do for last. All day long those tasks are hanging over your head. At the start of each day, set aside uninterrupted time to address and take care of all of the undesirable personal and business tasks that are outstanding, the things you least enjoy doing. That way, the rest of your day can be much more productive and enjoyable knowing you don’t have those outstanding issues hanging over you all day. Thanks to Nancy Butler of Above All Else, Success In Life And Business
	41. Personal Accountability Tips For Solopreneurs My single best strategy for holding myself accountable is writing a weekly to-do list. I review this list about mid-week to check off tasks that I have completed and to focus my efforts on things I still need to get done. Thanks to Cornelius Davis of Outstanding Apparel
	42. Discipline And Why…Tips For Entrepreneurs The number one thing here is to focus on the outcome. Why am I doing this? It is hard to be an owner of a business, especially when you are starting out, and have no one to delegate to. If you don’t have a big enough “why,” you are going to flounder and procrastinate when the going gets tough. Thanks to Laurie McNaughton of ActionCOACH Business Coaching
	43. A Great Coach Must Have A Great Coach, Too! I learned early on in my business start-up the best strategy to create personal accountability as a solo entrepreneur – hire another great coach! We can lament all we want about self-discipline, but there is nothing like asking another professional, a colleague, to hold your feet to the fire so you get great coaching results for your clients. It’s tough, but it’s the best way to ensure personal accountability in a solo practice coaching business. Swallow your pride, learn from the best! Thanks to Doug Savidge of ActionCOACH Business Coaching
	44. Is It Important? Is It Urgent? I use an improved to-do-list with 4 categories: 1. Important and Urgent 2. Important, not Urgent 3. Not Important, but Urgent 4. Not Important, not Urgent. Sort all tasks, and you will see that often tasks in category 4 are fun, or really easy, so are great for procrastination. Treat them as “candy,” but don’t let them take over your day. You might feel a lot of pressure from stuff that is urgent but not really important. If it distracts too much, let it go: It’s not important. And then, there is the relationship between the two “Important” categories: issues start in the “important, not urgent” box and, if you don’t take care of them, move to be “important and urgent”. First empty the “important and urgent” box, but also work on “important, not urgent” tasks, or they become urgent. Thanks to Eva Schiffer of Net-Map
	45. Personal Accountability Tips For Solopreneurs I have been a solopreneur many times over. I believe one can be held accountable by simply utilizing his peers as administration. More specifically, tell your friends and family of your goals (i.e. launch website by June 15th or submit a proposal to client by May 31st) and you will be motivated to achieve them. The last thing you want your judgemental peers to think is badly of you – so be on time, create quality work, and show it to those around you! Thanks to Keith Petri of IGottaGuide
	46. Tell The World! When I’m serious about reaching a specific goal in my business, I tell everyone. I write about it in my ezine, I announce it in social media, I share it with my mastermind partners, clients and colleagues. Saying it aloud makes it more real. The more I say it, the more confident I feel that I will accomplish the goal. I only tell people who will support me because I have enough Inner Gremlins without the help of additional negative input. Another benefit of announcing my plans to the world is that it keeps me from whimping out…they’re looking to me for when I announce that I’ve succeeded  Thanks to Jeanna Gabellini of MasterPeace Coaching & Training
	47. Path To Productivity My best strategy is to carve out a certain amount of time, whether it’s an hour or two, and work only on your action list. I’ll even get out of my office with all of the distractions and go to a coffee shop and work on my laptop. I find that I’m very productive during this window of time and get lots done! I end up getting tons more done than if I sat in my office with so many other “to do” lists staring at me. I also work out of a home studio so there is always something there that needs attention. Thanks to Karen Bullard of Paper Fancy
	48. The Natural Order Of The Business Model If a person is so inclined to start up a business from scratch, chances are he/she is not prone to laziness. Back in the day, prior to when I had ventured into my entrepreneurial career, I recall being less inclined to get things done when my higher-ups were harping on me to accomplish tasks. Now, however, when things need to get done that I feel will benefit the business, I’m extremely motivated – even without someone to answer to! I love to do things that I feel will genuinely grow the business and I never shy away from a task at hand or lose focus when that is the case. Entrepreneurs and business owners become their own boss often because they don’t work very well with a boss. The very structure of the business model makes them accountable and successful! Thanks to Deborah Sweeney of MyCorporation
	49. It’s Off To Work We Go! To create a productive work environment, I prepare for work just as if I’m getting in the car and driving there. I have regularly scheduled work hours, and I arrive and leave on time. I do not take personal calls during work hours, but I do take an hour off to eat lunch, put in a load of laundry, and relax. The key is to stay in the office during work hours, so I don’t get distracted by things that need doing around the house. Thanks to Kirsten Bird of ProOrganizing Delivered
	50. Sometimes You Really Have To BE The Boss! Even when you love your work, there will inevitably be parts of the job you won’t love doing. When you are your own boss and can set (and re-set) priorities at will, it’s way too easy to keep back burner-ing tasks you don’t like or are less good at handling. That’s when you have to sit yourself down and really BE your own boss. Identify which of your procrastinated projects are mandatory and then set and stick to a timeline for completing them. Make yourself take care of issues relating to those projects first until you can check them off your list. And learn from that experience! If you can avoid taking on the same type of project again, do it!! Thanks to Cheryl Heisler of Lawternatives
	51. Set It And I Won’t Forget It! I put all of my important tasks on my calendar. I can then see how each task relates to each other. I can actually see that I can’t procrastinate on one thing without it affecting another. In addition to that, I can’t say I don’t have time. It’s on the calendar. I’ve already made time for it. Neither can I forget. I look at my calendar everyday. Thanks to Sharonda Ellis of Events Above The Rest
	52. How To Succeed In Business Without Discipline When I study people who are wildly successful, one trait comes to mind when describing them vs. everybody else – they are disciplined in a way most of us aren’t. “Discipline” conjures up all kinds of responses from me and none are good. I’m not, I don’t want to be, it’s boring… I have a belief that discipline is painful. And I know that with a little discipline I could make a lot more $$ and have more freedom. So how does the discipline-challenged get some? For me it’s easy: lose the word. I hate discipline, but I am a total creature of habit. So rather than changing my lifestyle to be disciplined, I need to create new habits. My top 3: Wine only with dinner, read 30 min/night, phones calls before emails. That’s my strategy – don’t be disciplined. Build great habits. Thanks to Susan Thomson of ActionCOACH
	53. How Bubba Gets ‘er Done As a solo entrepreneur who coaches a number of solo entrepreneurs, the best way I’ve found to get things done is to have an accountability partner. Spouses rarely make good ones, but someone else, like another solo entrepreneur, who you talk with every week or two and share what you accomplished and what you plan to do. I don’t want to have to tell my Coach, Stephen, I didn’t get something done… Thanks to Malcolm Upton of ActionCOACH Business Coaching
	54. Prioritize Your Tasks With Your Endgame(s) In Mind Being an entrepreneur, you are ultimately the only one that is held accountable for any blunders or problems that arise at your company. Even though you may outsource certain aspects of your business or higher contract workers to finish designated tasks, you will always have the last say in the final product. A great strategy to use is creating a “To-Do” list. This list should focus on holding yourself accountable by working on your tasks in a prioritized sequence, and not haphazardly. Next to each task you should put the end goal or desired result that the task is geared towards. This way, you can remain goal-oriented rather than process-oriented by just checking off tasks. You only have yourself to answer to, but remaining focused on your goals will help you get through mundane tasks. Thanks to Ian Aronovich of GovernmentAuctions.org
	55. Eat A Frog On those days when I have to get things done, especially those things that are less than fun, I remember an odd saying that goes something like this. If you eat a live frog first thing in the morning the rest of your day is easy. This reminds me that it is best to tackle the unpleasant tasks first. I also reward myself for getting them done. Thanks to Jennifer Bowers of Rose Bridge Creations
	56. Day Of Discipline My single best strategy as a solo entrepreneur is to tackle my undesirable tasks on the same day, my Day of Discipline. For that day, I get up very early, have a good workout and breakfast, make a REALISTIC task check-off list and begin. I find that checking things off is a necessary motivational tool for holding myself accountable for completing those not-so-fun tasks. It helps to keep me focused and I find that each checked-off item energizes me to get through the next thing on the list. Quite frankly, it’s these “days of discipline” that make me feel at my most productive. It’s important to have realistic goals for the day, ones that you can actually complete in the time allotted, as having a sense of completion is very important for making this strategy work. When I get through the list, I’m done for the day and try to reward myself in some fashion. Thanks to Karla Perea of TravelSmiles.com
	57. Started Off With A Website And Ended Up With A Business Several years ago I decided I wanted to try running a website to make some extra money. For years I ran my website as best I could, at times making good money and at times making little money. The Internet offers lots of opportunities for making money. And lots of challenges. Recently during one of my dry spells, I thought about how I could make my website more profitable on a consistent basis. Then it came to me – if wanted my website to be a real business, then I needed to treat it like a real business, instead of just a website. So I wrote out a list of all the tasks that were most profitable, put them in order of importance, and started doing them every week. And in a short time my business improved dramatically. Thanks to Kris Bickell of debt-tips.com
	58. EAT THE FROG! Less desirable and difficult tasks are the last ones attempted by most. The single best strategy for me is to start each day with a ritual and create a plan. My ritual consists of going through a motivational sequence I call my “I am’s”: I look in a mirror and tell myself aloud who I will have to be to get everything done. While listening to motivational music I create/review a to-do list. I print three copies as a visual stimulant: one for my desk, one for the bulletin board, and one for my briefcase. As I complete each task, I check it off. The least desirable tasks I accomplish first, while poised with motivation. I call it “eating the frog” because doing them can be hard to swallow. I measure progress against a plan as an effective strategy to get things done and self-accountability. Thanks to Gerald Peters of ActionCOACH Of Old Town Manassas
	59. You Can’t Improve What You Don’t Measure! 1. Get an accountability partner! Another solopreneur, a coach or masterminds group can easily fill that void 2. Implement structures to hold yourself accountable. For instance, Sunday night, outline your goals and deliverables for the week. At the end of the week, score how well you did. And keep track of the weekly scores in a plot or graph. We all like to get good “grades”! You can’t improve what you don’t measure. That holds true of accountability too! Thanks to Elene Cafasso of Enerpace, Inc. Executive Coaching
	60. You Can’t Make Me Do It I can keep a to-do list running way longer than it needs to be. When I don’t complete the task today, I push it back to tomorrow. What works for me is actually putting the task on my calendar at an appointed time. When the task is complete and my day is done, I can look at my results from that day. What’s my incentive to keep going? I decided to reward myself with mid-day treats. It is really simple. My incentives can be an activity I wanted to do and never do. I choose the middle of the day for movies, manicure, museum trip, or a trip to nowhere. Just anything I have not made the time for in my schedule. It makes completing the task so much sweeter. At the end of the list, I’m more productive, closer to my goal and had fun along the way. Thanks to Natasha Reid of F.I.T. Money Magazine
	61. If It Weren’t For The Last Minute, I Wouldn’t Get Anything Done! As the head of my own leadership development and team building consulting firm, I can readily identify with the sentiment expressed in the title of this post. However, when I feel like putting things off, I remember another quote: “Putting off an easy thing makes it hard. Putting off a hard thing makes it impossible.” I know that putting off undesirable tasks may provide a temporary respite but will inevitably lead to regret. The notion that procrastination makes easy tasks hard and hard tasks impossible resonates strongly with me every time I’m tempted to put something off. I also remember how I kept putting off my doctoral dissertation until the project threatened to overwhelm me. Not an experience I wish to repeat! Thanks to Michael Brenner of IdeAgency
	62. Cake First, Then The Frosting. Fortunate for me and my personality, I’m a eat-the-cake-first then the-frosting kind of person. Somewhat funny is that many, many times getting things done is a challenge. I’m a single mother and this, along with my business, make for a very full day. In regard to undesirable tasks, I have this head game I play and it’s the whole carrot and the stick strategy. First, I do this, then I get that (cake…frosting). I use doing things with my child, like taking her out for a bike ride, going to the library, doing a puzzle, etc., but first I have to return these calls, send these emails, write this blog post. The wonderful thing is that my child is in on it too and cheers, “Go mommy go!” (seriously, it’s funny and I’m so grateful that she understands, especially since she’s only 5). Thanks to Elena Patrice of WebsitesGiveBack
	63. Accountability & Success My best tip for staying accountable as an entrepreneur is to use various planning tools to measure success and keep on track. I still LOVE the Franklin/Covey planning system and incorporate that with some of my own methods and techniques. I also find it helps to have an accountability partner who you check in with weekly to make sure you’ve accomplished your projects and goals. Thanks to Lisa Manyon of www.writeoncreative.com
	64. K.O. That Punch List My single best strategy for keeping on task and accountable is preparing a daily Punch List detailing the items that need to be achieved for the day. It can range from items relating to my work (“Follow up on Roza’s inquiry re: PR kit status”) to the mundane (“Change the cat box already!”). Nothing on the Punch List is unreasonable to achieve within my available time and I leave room to be flexible if something urgent arises. Thanks to Luca Cusolito of Creative Enabler
	65. Advisory Team To The Rescue! Being a solo entrepreneur can be the loneliest job in the world! You don’t have anyone with whom to discuss ideas or ask questions. Family and friends do not count! Why not set up your own Advisory Team made up of other entrepreneurs who have similar clients, but who are not in competition with you? This group would know some of your marketing problems because they are marketing to the same crowd. What would be a better group to talk with at least once a week for support and ideas? You could even set up a system to hold each other accountable for the action steps that you need to do for your business. If set up right, the members would develop such a devotion to the team that they would do anything not to let the team down. Thanks to Sally Vickers of Team Powered Success
	66. Before You Leave The Office Before you leave the office identify and write down the main 5 tasks to be taken care of the next day. The next day turn off your phone and put a ‘genius at work’ sign in your door and get those 5 items taken care of. It’s simple, cost-effective and your productivity will soar. Thanks to Rivka Caroline of So Be Organized
	67. Asking The Central Question Life is about creating value. The more value we can create the greater success we can achieve in all measures (personal and professional). To maximize value, we want to be thinking in value-centric terms. It’s very helpful to define and distinguish “accountability” and “responsibility” in a more empowering way than how most people think of them (with blame and guilt) Account-ability is the ability to account (to identify and acknowledge) “what is now” – the truth of the current situation – and your part in it being that way (the choices and actions you took or didn’t take). Respons-ibility is the ability to respond to what is, a way that creates greater value. Hence, The Central Question of life love, and leadership (including self) is: “What choice can I make and action can I take, in this moment, to create the greatest net value?” Deliberately asking this question whenever we are procrastinating, overwhelmed, upset, conflicted, confronted, confused, uncertain, fearful, or filled with self-doubt can be highly transformational and helps us to access our greater strengths, rather than compensate for weaknesses. Thanks to Peter Demarest of PeterDemarest.com
	68. Self-Reprimanding To-Do List And Other Shame Inducing Organizational Tips Because mom won’t always be wagging her finger at me when I don’t finish a presentation, I know I have to rely on myself to complete my daily tasks. So the first thing I do after rolling out of bed is make a to-do list. The hard stuff? Always at the top. Why? Because I know I’ll get to the easy things first, but having two ugly blotches of responsibility at the top of my list is great incentive to cross them off. Thanks to Ilana Jacqueline of About Time Media, LLC.
	69. The Egg Timer Strategy I create daily and weekly lists of all the things that need to be done in my business. The fun things, and the not-so-fun items. Then I block out ½ hour, set the egg timer, and get focused and to work on those less-than-fun tasks. Before long, I’m racing against the timer to see how much of the task I can finish in that half hour. The trick is, when the timer goes off you must stop. No matter how involved you are in the task. Otherwise, the next time you try to do this, some part of you won’t believe you that you will stop in the ½ hour timeframe, so you must keep this commitment to yourself. You can do another ½ hour later in the day if you want to, but you must stop when the bell goes off. Thanks to Joanne McCall of Joanne McCall Media Group
	70. Inch By Inch It’s A Cinch The best primer I read on Time Management was by the late great Brian Tracy, and his saying, “Inch by inch it’s a cinch, whereas by the yard it’s hard”, helps me get through the undesirable tasks by chipping away at them a little at a time. I create tiny deliverables and then reward myself with easy and/or enjoyable tasks in between, so by the end of the day I feel like I’ve accomplished a tremendous variety of tasks. Otherwise if you get bogged down on a task you hate doing, and view it as a single large task with no sense of accomplishment between the start and finish, it creates a vicious cycle of negative reinforcement. Thanks to Tom Steele of Information Engineering, Inc.
	71. I Want To Leave Behind A Legacy, Not A Life Insurance Policy When things get tough and I feel myself about to slack off or give up, I remind myself of who ELSE I am doing this for. I have four sons, and I would like to leave behind a legacy for my children to pass on to their children, and not just a life insurance policy. My kids are my inspiration and what keeps me going. Thanks to Kati Carson of ByKati
	72. It’s All In Your Head I’ve found that no matter what strategies I try to keep myself on track, the key to making them work is to simply stay positive. And yes, this takes effort at times… read something inspirational to start your day, repeat some affirmations, get some exercise, network with some ambitious folk. Simply be mindful of when your thoughts start to veer south and steer them back in line by consciously employing positive thoughts. This can work wonders on your energy and momentum and empower you to focus and complete your tasks. Thanks to Rebecca Malik of 17th And Riggs Contemporary Home

Thanks so much again to all our wonderful contributors for your valuable customer service tips this week!  We hope to hear from you again.
If you are new to the Question of the Week and would like to get involved, simply follow the link below to get started.  We’d love to have you share your knowledge and experiences here too, and get a bit of PR in the process.

This week’s question is -

Best Kept Secrets for Closing a Sale
There is an art to building relationships based on trust with potential clients, and motivating them to engage their time, money, and energy in the solution that you are offering, over the competition. This is a challenge for any new entrepreneur, who is working hard to gain traction in a niche.
What is your single best kept secret to closing a sale and what has made it so successful for your business?

Why should I join the discussion?

Because this online forum is a great place for us to exchange ideas, learn from each other and network. My goal is to unite successful women entrepreneurs to share our insights and solutions to the challenges we most commonly face in our businesses.

How do I get involved?

Every Monday I will post a new Question of the Week. This is a great opportunity for you to bring your expertise to the table. Using the link below, please submit a one paragraph response before the deadline, and the following week I will share our community responses on my blog.

CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT YOUR RESPONSE

I look forward to your response to this week’s question! If you have any questions you know where to find me. Have a great week!

Top 21 Internet Tools on the Internet Today January 23, 2013 at 5:34 pm | By learnit_admin | filed under Blog, Internet Tools and tagged Design, elearning, Internet.

Looking for the best Internet tools online to have a leg up on the competition? When used properly, any Internet novice can translate a C+ educational background into an A+ web portfolio. But, it ain’t all koombayya sing-a-longs and beach bumming. Are you willing to do the research? Well, looks like you’re half way there friend. Below, we have assembled a top 21 list of Internet tools for you to apply and get to the next level.

OpenOffice

Free and works almost identically to Microsoft Office Suite, OpenOffice allows you to write documents, make spreadsheets, create presentations and more. You’ll also have the option to save files as Microsoft documents and other popular formats.

Google Search

Google is the gatekeeper to the World Wide Web and the keyholder to all the answers to your questions. Type keywords and find the best answer possible. There’s a reason why it’s ranked the number one website in the world, you know.

Google Drive

Google Drive is an easy way to drag-and-store all of your documents onto a Google account. You can view documents anytime and anywhere with internet access. If you’re running an online business with multiple employees, use Google Drive to share documents and pass information.

WordPress

A free-to-use blogging platform. Create your own domain and have a website running in minutes. WordPress is arguably the go-to blogging website used by millions of businesses online. It’s free and available on Linux, PC, and MAC.

PowerPoint

Microsoft PowerPoint allows you to create amazing presentations. Here, you can embed videos, insert slides, and create amazing content with style.

Facebook

The world’s most popular social media website has over a billion users. It’s popular social network also carries great educational applications users may find helpful.

SlideShare

The world’s most popular slide sharing tool used by the world’s most popular web publishers. Create slide presentations from anywhere and embed them wherever and whenever you want for everyone to see.

Diigo

A social media site that gives users the luxury to save and annotate favorite content in one spot; and of course, share discoveries with like minds.

EduGlogster

Create and use interactive posters with ease. Insert multiple photos, embed videos, and view them in one interactive template.

Camtasia

Beam presentations to anyone in the world. Choose your mic, comment on images and websites and send them over to your friends, students, or teachers.

VoiceThread

Similar to written threads in forums, VoiceThread creates voice driven group discussions online. Post a lesson or project and recreate group discussions with ease.

Screenr

Instantly create screen casts with a push of a button. Click record and produce web-based commentary screen casts. Post them up and send them to your classmates, friends, or family.

iOS

If you have an iPhone or iPad, you’ll want to find internet tools in application form. With iOS you’ll be able to absorb content on-the-go as you would on a desktop.

Poll Everywhere

Create polls anytime you want in real-time. Replace expensive hardware with good old fashion web technology. Social media coordinators love this one.

Excel

Create Microsoft Excel spreadsheets on any whim. Input, store and manage spreadsheet data like a boss with Mircrosoft excel.

paper.li

Publish all of the content you find online like a newspaper. Drag and drop your favorite stories and publish it how the New York Times would: Easy.

MentorMob

Build a learning playlist and have the luxury to catch up on tutorials or lessons anytime you want.

quora

This is like having Wikipedia, Yahoo! Answers and Facebook all in one page. Here you’ll find an amazing community who offers great answers to all questions and vice versa.

Instapaper

Use Instapaper to save notes and content from various websites to read later. To help you read lessons later, save it on Instapaper.

TED Talks/Ed

Eaves drop and learn lessons from the world’s most innovative minds. TED Talks/Ed is a great way to stay on top of why today’s realities exist today as well as cutting-edge ideas just about to hit the mainstream.

Learn iT! Anytime

We had to. Learn iT! Anytime offers a wide range of [URL=http://www.learnitanytime.com/]online eLearning video tutorials[/URL] ranging from Microsoft Office, iPad use, Adobe Photoshop, Web Design, and more! We’re the people who teach Silicon Valley.

Summary

The big difference between the rock star Internet publishers and the busker Internet publishers are online tools. Do you use all of your web applications to the best ability? Do you know where to find real-time content, curate, and publish? Better yet, do you know which websites allow you to do so with maximum efficiency and style? In today’s world, a “complicated process” and A+ website isn’t as hard as it looks. With the right research, online tutorials, keywords and hard work, you should be able to find the best tool for the best price — and on most occasion — that price is FREE. Until next post!

French and German Entrepreneurs: Time to Go Global

Guest Post: Thomas is the founder of EU-Startups.com, a blog that covers Internet and Mobile startups out of Europe. EU-Startups also has bloggers in Spain, Ireland and the UK. The vision behind EU-Startups.com is it to connect the European startup scene and to encourage entrepreneurship within Europe.

Since France and Germany are the two largest non-English speaking markets  inside of the European Union, many French and German Internet entrepreneurs are still focusing on their home markets instead of thinking global. Sure, there are some obvious advantages related to the home market:

• You may have a better understanding of the market and your potential customers
• You don’t have to work on your english skills
• You are more familiar with the laws of your home country
• The French and German market is big enough to establish a nice and profitable Internet company

Entrepreneurs out of smaller EU-countries tend to concentrate more often on english speaking markets – mostly because they have to. Some might say this is a disadvantage of starting a company out of a small country. I would say it just simplifies the decision to concentrate on international markets and leads to huge oportunities.

Why should also French and German entrepreneurs think global?

Here are some basic pros:

• Your startup will be recognized much easier by international media
• You’ll have greater chances to attract international investors
• It will be a lot easer for you to attract international talent
• You’ll be able to reach a much bigger market

Let’s face it, the internet brought people from all over the world closer together. You might be based in a small village in the south of France, but at any given time you can chat with someone from Japan, exchange e-mails with your friends in the U.S. or buy goods and services from all over the world right from your computer. So why would you want to miss this opportunity?

Global will win.

It will be the global companys that rule the Internet (well, they already do). Just look at Facebook, which basically replaces all national communities. Or think of Amazon, which is leading the online retail market in many countries.  If you create just a French or German startup, you might be able establish a nice business. But you will never reach international attention until you start hitting really big numbers or get bought by an international player.

So why would you want to wait before a big U.S. company tries to get you out of your own local market? Let’s intead try to enter international markets and create strong and leading European companies. Especially France and Germany has a huge talent pool and lots of creative people. I guess If more talented Europeans would try to create global companies instead of focusing on their home markets, chances would be great that the next Facebook or Google would be headquartered in Paris or Berlin.

Some startups are ALREADY doing this!

Fortunately, there are already a bunch of promising French and German startups out there targeting a global market. Below you’ll find three examples of great German startups that are doing it the international way:

1. With more than 120 employees from 20 countries, Wooga’s international team creates games that excite more than 32 million active players every month. This makes Wooga Europe’s largest social games developer and #3 in the world.
2. SponsorPay is the leading global cross-platform advertising solution for the monetization of premium content and virtual currency. Since its foundation in 2009, the young company has already reached over 120 million customers across more than 100 countries. SponsorPay is headquartered in Berlin with offices in Paris, San Francisco, London and Tokyo.
3. With 120,000 designers, 1.5 million registered users and a web presence in German, French and English, DaWanda is already the European market leader within its segment. The Berlin based company has just raised 4 million Euros in the latest round of financing. One of the most strategically significant countries for DaWanda is France, which is now being addressed as a priority. In addition to the headquarter in Berlin, offices in France (Paris) and other European countries will now be opened in the near future.

Salary Negotiation: How to negotiate better than 99% of people

In college, I had the opportunity to teach a “Student-Initiated Course,” or basically a course on whatever I wanted. So I got together with two of my friends and we put together a course on religious studies.

Now, Stanford gave us incredible flexibility to teach essentially whatever we wanted…but the student instructors never got letter grades — it was always Pass/No Pass (everybody always passed), issued by the sponsoring professor.

Until we came along.

You see, I was never the smartest person in any school I attended. But I got pretty street smart over the years. And so I petitioned the sponsoring professor to let us teach the class for a letter grade. I negotiated with her and convinced her to let us recommend our own grades (!), back it up with evidence, and she would approve it.

We would basically write our own ticket!

One of my co-instructors was amazed that I convinced the sponsoring professor to agree. He signed the papers to enroll for a letter grade instantly.

But my other co-instructor hesitated.

To give you some context, this guy was a PhD student in Computer Science at Stanford and had previously attended IIT, one of the most competitive technical universities in the world.

“Dude,” I said, “what’s your problem? Sign the damn papers. We’re going to get an A+,guaranteed. Take it for a letter grade!”

“No, Ramit,” he said, “I don’t know about this. I cannot take the risk.”

“What the hell?”

“Well….if I don’t get an A+, it will bring my GPA down.”

I just stared at him. It actually took me 10 seconds to understand what he meant. And then I got it.

An “A” is a 4.0. An “A+” gives you 4.3.

The only way an “A” could bring his GPA down was if he already had over a 4.0 GPA — he was just too modest to say it.

I was speechless. How do you even respond to that? “Ok,” I mumbled. Ever mindful of the risk, he didn’t sign the papers — and ended up taking the class Pass/No Pass.

By the way, we got an A+. I never let him live it down. Sucker.

We’ve now entered Week 3 of my 30-day course on hustling.

• In Week 1, I covered how to automate successful scripts into your life, including successfully interviewing at top organizations/companies/universities
• In Week 2, I covered the psychology of persuasion, including getting raises, changing your behavior (like going to the gym and automating money), and changing others’ behavior

This week, I’ll show you how to negotiate better than 99% of people.

Below, I have a video, case studies, and a new negotiation framework to use.

Thanks to the Craigslist Penis Effect — i.e., because Americans suck at negotiating — it will be easier than you think to improve your interviewing skills.

Within 48 hours, I’ll ask you to share your successful negotiation tactics with other IWT readers.

Let’s do it.

The power of negotiation

One of the reasons Americans loved Saturn cars was the “no-haggle” policy — which, to an Indian, is code for “let’s charge these suckers more because they’re afraid of negotiating.”

Have you ever seen one of your friends try to negotiate? It’s so sad it makes me want to cry. Imagine the most timid person getting the courage up to finally ask for something.

Timid weirdo: “Excuse me sir…do you think you might possibly maybe somehow discuss the salary with me? I am thinking –”

Hiring manager: “I’m sorry, it’s a set salary.”

Timid weirdo: “Okay” (head down, internally saying “I shouldn’t have even bothered”)

There is another way.

Here are just a few of the things you can negotiate:

• Credit card APR
• Salary (like my friend’s $8,000 salary negotiation)
• Gym fee
• Cable fee
• Cellphone fee
• Days off from work / work from home on Fridays
• Complimentary room upgrade at hotels
• Car insurance

Best of all, negotiation is a HUGE WIN.

Every successful salary negotiation is a cumulative benefit — and your salary will almost always continue to increase from there. If you negotiate a $5,000 salary increase for your first job, that single salary negotiation will be worth tens of thousands of dollars to you over your lifetime.

If you spend 30 minutes negotiating your cable bill, it’s worth hundreds of dollars. How many lattes would you have to give up to equal that?

This isn’t theoretical. Thousands of my students have used negotiation techniques in all areas of their lives to improve how much they make, how much they work, and how they live.

Let me show you some case studies.

CASE STUDY: The multi-thousand-dollar salary increase

I taught my friend how to negotiate an $8,000 increase in salary and a 50% boost in equity in 4 hours.

In this video, learn how to:

• Negotiate with an experienced recruiter
• Rebound after you undercut yourself
• Why reading a salary negotiation book is not enough
• Know when to be adversarial and when to be cooperative

Notice that she took the time to PRACTICE, something that’s absolutely crucial to salary negotiation. Negotiation is an area where books help a little — but then you need to do it to really learn and improve your skills.

CASE STUDY: Raising your rates

Note: This is not just about raising your freelance rates. You can apply this technique to areas like getting a salary increase.

In this video, you’ll learn:

• The HUGE mistake I made when I asked for my first raise
• How to seek out high value work AND make the time for it
• The “solutions perspective” that leaves your clients ADDICTED to your service
• An exact script to build in automatic raises in the future

3 examples of IWT readers who negotiated their way to success

Example 1: “This is almost 30k more than what I was making previously”

IWT reader Mark writes about how he negotiated a $30,000+ salary increase at a new job:

“Not sure if you still have time to read all the stories thanking you, but I’m thanking you for it anyway.

I’m doing a job search now, and I have been going through your stuff on negotiation.  I made the mistake early on (hard to avoid, actually) of giving out my previous salary; for one thing, I have had a lot of headhunters talking to me, and I didn’t realize this one was a recruiter (working on behalf of the company I’m being considered for).  For headhunters I don’t care as much because it’s in their interests to get me a higher salary.  But now of course I was worried about being boxed in.  This also made me realize I was a fool to not care about a raise at my last job, as you covered in one of your videos, since it negatively affects things going forward.

Fortunately he posed the question over email, which I think tilted things in my favor.

Him:

I just want to make sure you are interested in the position and get a good feel as to what your time frame for making a move is?   Also,  I know we discussed briefly but I was hoping to get more clarity on what you are looking for from a compensation standpoint?

Me:

As for compensation, I’m not sure I could quantify that without getting a feel for where my skill level fits in with some of the other consultants after meeting with them during the tech interview.  We had discussed the probable need for some training on the business side, but I’m basically looking to make market rates for a C# developer, so I’m sure your consultants are within that range.

Him:

From a compensation standpoint, we would probably be looking in the $100k + or – range.  It really depends on how the other interviews go.

This is almost 30k more than what I was making previously…he knows this.  But here’s the real coup-de-grace: I was going to be stupid and say something like 80-90k, but I shut up and put it back to him, and look what we’ve got.”

Example 2: “I quoted $125/hour. They accepted.  Within 2 hours.”

IWT reader A.B. writes about how he negotiated his FIRST-ever consulting deal:

“[COMPANY NAME] approached me about hiring me as a consultant.  They want me to basically look at their programs, blogger outreach, creative, and copy and tell them what I think sucks from a blogger’s perspective.  They don’t want me to endorse them, just tell them what turns bloggers off.

They took me out to fancy dinner in Vegas (during BlogWorld), as I was skeptical of working with them.  They overcame some of the skepticism, but obviously wanted a quote.

As you may have guessed, I’ve never consulted with a company, nor had any idea what to quote them.  I assumed they wanted 5-10 hours-ish.

As I was sending them a quote, i struggled with what to quote (time & money) – I literally thought “What would Ramit do?”.  I would probably do it for $47/hour realistically right now, but knew that was way too low.  I ended up telling them my rates were $197/hour, but if they booked 40 hours (remember I thought they wanted 5-10) I would give them $125/hour.

They accepted.  Within 2 hours.

Which I know means I offered too low, haha, but I’m o.k. with that. Learning experience.  They think they want more like 60-80 and have sent me estimates that point to so, but are guarantee’ing 40, including paying for all expenses to fly me out to [LOCATION] in early November.

They’ve also indicated that they’d like to have an ongoing relationship after this initial 2-3 month period.

This $5,000-$10,000 is a great place to start for me (I haven’t advertised any consulting ever… they came to me).  Even though I could have gotten more (likely) I would have NEVER thought to push that high in hours or rate had it not been for your influence.

Next time I’ll quote double.  ;-)”

- A.B.

Example 3: “With a 12-month lease, that is a savings of $1800!”

IWT reader Sharon C. writes

“Hi Ramit,

I’ve been reading your blog for about 2-3 years now and I’ve learned a lot of useful tips over the years.  The biggest thing I learned so far is that you can negotiate a lot more things than you think you can (and don’t be afraid to ask)!  So the leasing office sent me a notice that I need to renew my lease for my apartment in San Jose, or they’d make me pay $50 more month-to-month (which is normal).

I was paying $1585 (up from $1515 about 1.5 years ago) and I’ve lived in the apartment for 3 years.  I heard that rent has been dropping in my area due to the economy, so I called up a few competing apartment complexes and asked them for their current price on a similar square footage apartment.  The average was about $1400 so I knew I was overpaying.

When I went to ask for a rent reduction, the office kept on insisting that I was already paying “market rate.”  I let them know that I was serious on leaving if they didn’t give me a lower rate.  I talked to a higher up manager and after about a week, she was able to give me a rate of $1435 which is $150 off my previous rent!  She stated that since we had lived there for 3 years she was able to give me the lower rate, which is the same rate as what the last tenants that moved in are paying.

With a 12-month lease, that is a savings of $1800!  It also saves us the trouble of moving out.  Thanks for your blog and all the work that you do!”

As you know, this month I’m focusing on hustling, or doing extraordinary work to achieve disproportionate results.

Negotiating is a key part of hustling. Not only does the behavior matter — knowing what to say, how to say it, when to NOT say something — but the mindset of “Yes, I can negotiate that!” is critical.

In fact, the powerful principles behind negotiation are critical to understand.

5 negotiation principles you can apply today

Here are 5 principles of negotiation you can apply today.

Know what you want. If you walk into a salary negotiation without a number, you’re at the mercy of an experienced hiring manager who will simply control the conversation. That’s what they do. When you know what you want, not only can you communicate that crisply to the other person, you can demonstrate why — and this forces you to prepare for the negotiation. In other words, you can’t just say, “I want to make $95,000!!!” You have to SHOW why you’re worth it. This single distinction can be worth thousands to you.

Know who you’re negotiating with. When someone negotiated with me, he kept offering things I didn’t care about, like “I can also do X for you, and Y, and Z.” But had he taken the time to find out what I REALLY wanted — reliability — he would have been able to offer specific examples like a weekly digest of what he’d accomplished and what he was working on the next week. And he could have charged me thousands for that peace of mind. Instead, I didn’t hire him.

Have a toolbox. Amateurs walk into a negotiation and just “wing it.” Top negotiators have a “toolbox” of options to use. If the other person doesn’t seem to care about vacation days, they press that lever. If the other person seems flexible on pay (which happens more than you’d imagine, like in the above example), a good negotiator will get a higher salary and trade something else. Creating a toolbox can be as simple as writing 2 columns on a piece of paper — “What THEY want” vs. “What I want” — but can get much more sophisticated.

Practice relentlessly. Most people will lose tens of thousands of dollars over their lifetimes due to their failure to practice negotiations. Actually, most people won’t negotiate at all. But even the people who negotiate rarely practice. It feels “weird.” Who would I practice with? What do I say?

Yet if you don’t practice with a qualified friend or colleague, why would you expect to get good results in a real negotiation with a competent adversary? Hiring managers do this all day. Hotel clerks have heard everything under the sun.

One of my favorite things to do is share the practice I’ve done in the form of scripts — like the negotiation scripts in my book. A lot of times, people are skeptical about the book until they try one of the scripts…then they realize, “Wow. This works.”

Have a fallback. There’s a classic psychological technique called the “Door in the Face” technique. It goes like this: “Hey Mike, would you donate $50 to the Save The Whale Foundation?” “Hell no.” “Ok, how about $5?” And donations increase dramatically.

If you’re negotiating, odds are you’ll fail. That’s fine — expect failure. Embrace it. Turn“failure expectation” into domination.

Don’t shoot your first basket in the NBA. I am trying to use more sports analogies to try to fool people into thinking I care at all about sports. As you can tell I have a long way to go.

Anyway, your first salary negotiation shouldn’t be against a hiring manager. Start off small — in a real-world environment — at your local farmer’s market. Try negotiating on Craigslist. By the time you get to the real negotiation, the one that matters, you’ll have several negotiations under your belt. The difference will likely be worth thousands.

The main MYTHS of negotiation are:

These are classics but I continue hearing them and it’s driving me nuts.

• Myth: Negotiation has to be adversarial. This is a good excuse that people use to avoid negotiating. “I don’t want to be mean” or “He’s just a small-business owner.” First, an effective negotiator is rarely mean. Instead, they explore the situation and use words like, “We’re close, but we just need to find a good fit here” rather than “I hate you and please die…ps can you give me a deal.”

• Myth: I need to read (and read, and read) about negotiation before I try it. Yes, you do need to get educated. But you’ll learn 100x more from practicing 5 negotiations than from reading yet another book or blog post about negotiation. Try searching Google for “How to negotiate salary” to see how terrible most of the advice is, anyway.

• Myth: You can negotiate anything. I just got this email from a reader:

“I have a situation where there was an $150 application fee to apply for a membership to the YMCA. The application fee was paid and there were attempts to have it waived but they did not budge. Now the fee has been reduced and other attempts to get the application fee they paid back have not worked. Are there any tips/suggestions/script suggestions they could try to negotiate with them?”

My response:

“Sometimes you just have to eat the costs.”

You can’t negotiate everything. And you’re not entitled to a deal on everything. But pick your battles, because the right ones can save/generate tens of thousands of dollars for you.

• Myth: Some people are born negotiators. I was bred to be a negotiator by my parents. For example, my mom would show me how to negotiate at department stores when I was a little kid. Then, visiting India, I saw the game taken to a whole new level. The point is, the people around you matter. Practice matters. Sure, none of us may ever be the world’s top negotiator…but we don’t have to. If we just become marginally better negotiators than we currently are, we can reap disproportionate rewards.

TO DO THIS WEEK

1. Spend 30 minutes — but only 30 minutes — reading the case studies, scripts, and examples on this page: How to negotiate.
2. Pick ONE of the following areas to negotiate:
   • Personal finance (credit card companies, cell phone bill, etc.)
   • Craigslist (Preferably your selling something, but buying is ok)
   • Farmers/Flea Market (See what crazy deal you can put together)
   • Your Job (Go for big wins, like a raise or tele-commuting)
   • Your Clients (raise your rates, or put together longer term contracts)
3. Find a creative way to get it done BY WED NIGHT.
4. Leave your results of the negotiation, AND THE SCRIPT YOU USED, in the comments section of this post with the heading “WEEK 3 RESULTS” by Wednesday at 11:59pm PST.

Note: Be respectful when you negotiate. Never take advantage of the other person and never get rude. Negotiation is a back-and-forth dance where you find a solution agreeable to both of you. You’ll see the collaborative way I approach negotiation in my examples. Please treat this exercise with respect.

Also note: Unless you’ve been planning to negotiate your salary for a long time, I would not encourage you to negotiate it in 48 hours. A successful salary negotiation takes longer than that, and I don’t want you to jeopardize your chances of success down the road.

With that said…

Think BIG. Bonus points to anyone who negotiates something incredible, like a free computer or a trip to Jamaica.

The person who gets the best results can choose between…

1) $200 of my favorite negotiation books shipped to your door or….
2) A 15-minute call with me to coach you on becoming a skilled negotiator

My favorite negotiating tool: The Briefcase Technique

The Briefcase Technique is an advanced negotiation strategy that has earned me tens of thousands of dollars in my own career, and many thousands more for my students. Hardly anyone is confident or prepared enough to use this during a negotiation, but after this 2 minute video, YOU will be.

Notice that I made every mistake in the book. We all make mistakes negotiating. I still get rejected all the time when I try to negotiate. But each time I do, I learn something and improve my skills for the next try.