promote yourself an entrepreneur

10 Insights To Move You From Idea To Action In 2013

Whether you are just about to launch your first blog, ebook or webinar or you are seasoned entrepreneur; I think you’ll benefit from these quotes taken from the Unstoppable Entrepreneur interviews I did this past year.

On Getting Started and Making It Happen

Thinking and doing are two different things. Until you actually put it out there..it’s just an idea! Do the work. Watch the complete interview with Natalie Sisson, the Suitcase Entrepreneur, where she shares her stellar product launch tips.

launching your first product entrepreneur

Hope will only get you so far! Watch my interview with Benny Hsu  of Get Busy Living, where he shares how he went from hoping to doing and launched an awesome app that netted him $30K in the first month. If that’s not taking action..I don’t know what is!

The lovely Natalie MacNeil of She Takes On The World shares her advice for getting started and moving from dreaming to doing. It’s all about committing to take action and shipping!

 Being Agile & Learning As You Go

Caroline Ceniza-Levine of Six Figure Start, talks about the importance of starting and adjusting as you go. Put the shortest path between you and earning your first dollars and get out there and talk to people. Figure out what you can do on your own in the beginning and be prepared to learn!

In our interview, Shelia Butler of Successful Women Talk, discusses the importance of putting systems in place FROM THE GET-GO! Because you are going to grow, right? And this helps you move from working in your business to on it.

On finding your WHY

Too often we get caught in all the glamorous stuff in our business..you know what I’m talking about: branding, biz cards and we kinda overlook the ‘under the hood’ stuff..like, what is this business all about? Find your why! Watch the complete interview with Nailah Blades of Polka Dot Coaching.

On a similar note, you need to find the balance between loving what you do and getting paid for it..If it’s all love and no cashola, then there may be a slight problem. Check out my interview with rad Kickstart Kitchen girls where we talked about kickstarting your business with a solid plan and accountability and lotsa other fun stuff.

On Staying Creative and Incorporating New Habits

entrepreneur digital sabbatical

Taking a break to detach and reconnect to our creative selves is so crucial. Watch my interview with Angela Horn of Balance and Life, where we discuss the importance of finding balance as an entrepreneur.

Click to Tweet: Unleash your creativity with a #digital #sabbatical @angelagayehorn http://bit.ly/UWEXKE via @SandySidhu

daily practice to integrate new skills and habits entrepreneur

Too often when we are starting something new, we tend to think we have to ‘do it all’. Go big or go home? Not so fast! Claire Kerslake of Loving Life With Diabetes, shares the importance of actually starting small and working on integrating that new habit on a daily basis to actually cement the habit and stick to it.

Putting Yourself Out There 

promote yourself an entrepreneur

 I absolutely loved what Cindy Gallop shared when I met her earlier this year as it is sooo true and necessary!

And there you have it!

Click to Tweet: 10 Insights To Move You From Idea to Action http://bit.ly/UWEXKE  via @SandySidhu feat. @suitcasepreneur @cindygallop @kickstartkitchn

Click to Tweet: Stop dreaming and take action to reach your goals http://bit.ly/UWEXKE via @SandySidhu @benny_hsu @nailahblades @sixfigurestart

Your turn:

  1. I’d love to hear in the comments which insight resonated with you the most and how you plan on incorporating it in your biz (and life!) in 2013.
  2. Know someone who could benefit from these insights? Please share this post with them! Greatly appreciated 🙂

 

Get Your Tweet On: Getting Started With Twitter Chats

Getting started on Twitter can be a lonely and awkward experience. All these conversations are happening around you, and yet it can feel like you are tweeting all by your lonesome.

You know you should get in there and engage and chat with people but aren’t the type to just walk up to a stranger and tap them on the shoulder and say, “Hey..so you like stuff?” #awkwardmoment.

Enter Twitter Chats.

Now for the unfamiliar, Twitter chats are chats that happen using the hashtag functionality. This massive Google doc has a list and description of the different chats and you can find a chat related to every topic under the sun.

On Twitter, when you click on a particular hashtag, you will see all the tweets related to it and people who are talking about it.

What Are The Chats About?

You can find chats about pretty much everything from books, entrepreneurship to blogging advice.

Why Should I Participate?

While tweeting content regularly is great, Twitter chats let you maximize your time on Twitter and participate in existing conversations. Instead of tweeting 1-1 you are now engaged in a conversation with many people around a particular topic. Your tweets can be seen by hundreds as well as those who are lurking :P.

Think about it: your peeps are right there, gathered around discussing a topic related to your niche/industry/expertise. You don’t have to go searching for them..they are all there!

Not to mention all the knowledge sharing that goes on!

How Much Time Do I Have To Invest?

Most Twitter chats are one hour long and happen on a specific time and day of the week or on a bi-monthly basis.  You can pop in and see if the topic that week is relevant to you and decide to participate or not. A lot of these chats have regulars so it’s a great way to build strong connections that can help your business. Like anything, what you put in is what you get out!

How Can I Get Started?

  1. Find Your Chats: Check out the Google doc listing the various Twitter chats and identify a few that may interest you. Mark them in your calendar so you don’t forget.
  2. Research: If you use a tool like Hootsuite (or Tweetdeck) add a column and filter by the hashtag for the chat(s) that you are interested in. This way you can start to observe and see how people interact in the chat, what type of crowd it attracts and so on.
  3. Game Day: Once you’re ready to participate in a chat, I would highly recommend using a site like TweetChat so that you can focus on the chat and block out all the other Twitter noise. Most chats follow a Q&A format where the host will ask a question e.g Q1: Which Twitter chats do you recommend? and people will respond with a1)#yfechat, #shenowchat, #blogchat…  and so on. Note: many spin-off conversations start as well-don’t be afraid to jump-in!
  4. Post-Chat: Connect with people you’ve chatted with and keep the conversations going!
why you should participate in twitter chats to grow your business

Tweet Chat: An Easy Way To Follow And Participate in Twitter Chats

Recommended Chats

If you’re looking to connect with other entrepreneurial women who are starting their business (and further along), I would recommend:

#yfechat: Hosted by  Young Female Entrepreneurs that occurs every two weeks where entrepreneurial women in their 20s/30s go to discuss topics related to owning a business as a young female.

#shenowchat Led by She Now Org these chats happen on a weekly basis serving a community of women that believes in pursuing their careers and dreams, having adventures, and living their own lives first!

and the soon to be launched

#bootstrapchat by the lovely ladies over at Kicksart Kitchen on Wednesday October 17th at 6pm PST/9PM EST where they will discuss getting the resources you need to build a thriving business on a shoestring budget.

Save the Date

October 9th: I’ll be the hostess on the upcoming #yfechat where we will be chatting about “Perfecting the Pitch”. I’ll be there to welcome people to the chat, and helping with the Q&A. Hope to see you there.

November 5th: I’ll be asking the questions over at #SheNowChat. Topic to come shortly..hope to see you there!

So ready to take the plunge? Which Twitter chats will you explore? Already chatting? What are some of your faves?

Episode 12: Kickstart Your Business With A Solid Plan & Accountability

An important part of being an entrepreneur is learning from your peers. “Unstoppable Entrepreneur” profiles entrepreneurs just like yourselves who have taken the leap to follow their passion and create their own work & lifestyle. They share their expertise: tips for success, tools they use and valuable things they have learned along the way.

This week I had the pleasure of speaking to Jules Taggart and Krystina Feucht of Kickstart Kitchen.  Jules and Krystina share the importance of starting with a solid business foundation, having mentors and accountability partners and doing just one thing every day to move you forward.

Watch/Listen to the video below!

So many juicy nuggets! Here are some

Key Takeaways

  • Having a plan but not over-planning!
  • Why your BFF should not be your mentor
  • The importance of having a solid foundation in your business
  • Not confusing goals with to-do’s
  • The power of masterminds and accountability
  • Finding collaboration partners to help you grow your community and business

“When you have skin in the game you’ll really start to take it seriously” Click to Tweet

“You want to love what you do but you also want to get paid. You’re in business to make money.” Click to Tweet

People mentioned in this interview

Be the first to find out when their program launches by signing up at kickstartkitchen.com/catalyst

About Kickstart Kitchen

startup entrepreneur resourcesKickstart Kitchen provides tools, training, coaching and community interaction so you can get clear about what you want for yourself and your business. We teach you how to maximize your resources and create a profit-focused action plan. Most of all, we show you how to dust off that dream and get it out into the world.