How do you decide where and how to give?

How do you decide where to give of your time, energy and money? 

A lot of my clients are very generous with their time, energy and money when it comes to giving back. It turns out that they’re not alone, 70% of all charitable donations come from individual donors not corporations or foundations. Humans seem to be hardwired to take care of each other.  According to Chief Executive Magazine, “Anthropologists tell us that humanity’s secret to success as a species has been our ability to collaborate and cooperate to ensure the survival of the family, tribe, nation or whatever group we are affiliated with.”  

We can all give back one way or another. But with so many causes and demands on our attention - how do we choose and what do we give? 

• You want to connect with your community but don’t have a lot of resources

When I first went away to college at Virginia Tech, one of the first things I did was get involved in my new home town by volunteering.  I adopted a “grandmother” in the community through an elderly/ college student exchange, volunteered at a rape crisis center and worked at a pop-up Christmas market that allowed families in need to “shop” for the holidays. All of these choices connected me with my new community when I had time to give but not many resources. 

• You want to support causes you believe in but don’t have a lot of time

Then for many years I didn’t feel like I had the time or energy to give back because I was teaching full time while getting my master’s.  So, I gave money to several organizations I believed in.  Pro-tip:  Set a budget and decide what you want to spend to give back at the beginning of the year. That way when you are deciding who to give to and how much you already have a plan.

• You have the time and resources  and are ready to take it to the next level with a group or cause?

This is where you might become a board member or become involved in a leadership team where you are meeting people with very similar interests and motivations as you.  I’m in my second year of serving on the board of the Santa Barbara Swim Club because I’m passionate about swimming as a lifelong activity.  

Giving back is not only good for our communities, it’s good for us. But without a little forethought (and organization) it can be overwhelming. 

I would love to hear how and why you give back? 

P.S. If you want help getting organized. I’ll be starting a 6 week Spring Re-boot on May 4, so if you or someone you know wants to uplevel their business or work toward goals they’ve been wanting to crush, click here to schedule an introductory call. .

How I've helped Innate Fitness

This week I’m really excited to share about my client Andrew Araza. We’ve worked together for several years now and it’s been amazing to watch his business grow and thrive.

 Andrew owns Innate Fitness here in Santa Barbara, which is a gym that specializes in making sure all of their athletes feel safe and confident with their movements by teaching them the fundamentals before group class. They start with mechanics, then consistency, and finally intensity.  Innate Fitness coaches know your name and their classes are small enough that you get one-on-one attention.  

Andrew’s business has been growing and he’s needed help in getting organized and identifying the systems and solutions he needs to support that growth.  I’ve recently helped him hire an assistant and bring her onboard.

4 things I’ve helped him do are:

• Identify his goals and worked on a timeline for achieving them

• Worked on managing timelines and schedules of multiple team members

• Strategized on project follow through where we plot out what will be delegated to whom, how the project will be executed and seeing the project through

• Hire an assistant and bring her onboard

If you’re in need of help with organization and accountability, I have 3 spaces available for private coaching, give me a call !

If you want to hear directly from Andrew, I encourage you to watch his testimonial video below.

How's your 2020 going so far?

How’s your year going so far?!  Hope you’re off to a great start in 2020. Sometimes the beginning of the year can be overwhelming - big goals, long to do lists, etc. So to lighten things up and make sure I was starting off on the right foot...especially in my business, I did these three fun things. 

• Mark off your days off on your calendar for the rest of the year.  Even if you haven’t planned any trips, you know when your holiday days off will be and roughly when you’ll take off with your kids to visit the grandparents.

• Set a timer for ten minutes and clear your workspace or desk.  Throw away trash, put coffee mugs in the kitchen where they belong, take stock of any supplies you’re low in (a new pad of sticky notes is so satisfying).

• Make a vision board with colorful pictures ( I used mostly travel, food and fashion magazines) and inspiring words.  I love to visually lay out the things I’m setting my intentions toward.

I’m opening up three slots for  my next 12-Week Reboot,  February 3. 

My expertise is in setting up systems that will get and keep your business organized. With my eyes on how you are functioning in the office, we will quickly identify ways that you can do things better, easier, faster and cut out the extras that are driving you crazy. 

In this 12-week program I will help you identify your goals then meet with you each week to help you stay on track, create the systems we’ve identified, and give you guidance on how you can organize your business. 

If you’d like to know more, give me a call !

Holiday Planning

The Holiday season has officially begun.  Do you have your travel plans set?  Are you hosting a holiday meal or party?  Have you started shopping for gifts if you exchange gifts?

There’s still time (more than a month away) but with a little prep time now you’ll be smooth sailing into the holiday season. Here are my favorite holiday prep tips: 

• Get your travel plans on the calendar and make sure you’ve purchased travel tickets, if necessary. If you’re driving a fair distance, does your car need a tune-up?
  

• Make a list of gifts you need to purchase. Maybe your family has decided to draw names and each person only has to buy one gift.
  

• If you’re hosting, can you delegate some things like have guests help bring some of the dishes?
  

If you’d like to give the gift of organization to help someone you love feel lighter and more centered, I’m offering gift certificates for my organizing services and I’d love to help. Give me a call!

Are you communicating effectively with the people you share the same goals with?

Are you communicating effectively with the people that you share the same goals with? 

As I’ve been working with businesses, my question is: 

Are you communicating effectively?  

That means are you checking in regularly?  Are you making sure that you are all on the same page?  

Whether you’re meeting in person or via a zoom call, communication is super important to keep things flowing smoothly with the people you share the same goals with.

Although I am working on communication with team members in a business setting, it can also mean your family or board that you sit on, a group you volunteer with or any set of people that are working toward the same goal. 

Here are my top 3 tips for communicating effectively: 

1. Have clear goals that everyone understands and agrees to.
   

2. Have a regular meeting set where you check-in on progress towards your goals
   

3. Engage which means listening with an open mind, and offering feedback.
   

On the board I sit on I’m helping to spearhead the fundraising committee and I know our fundraising our goal and that I’ll have to have regular check ins with the group I’m working with in order to reach it. The group will only be effective if everyone participates and offers feedback. 

Where in your life can you use clearer goals, regular check-ins, and fully engage with others to achieve them? If you need help with any of these, give me a call!

My new 6 Week Reboot Program

I recently polled my clients to find out how I could support them in their businesses. I found out that a lot of them are so mired in the day to day of running their business that they don’t have time for big picture thinking and planning. They wanted an opportunity to take a step back, look at the bigger picture, set strategic goals and have someone to meet with regularly to bounce ideas off of and provide accountability. 

I am offering a 6-Week Reboot to meet this need. We will start with a 45-minute meeting to see what your goals and challenges are and how we organize them so that you have a plan on how to move forward in a way that gives you more time, space and simplicity. 

After we set up your initial goals and plan I will meet with you each week to help you stay on track, set up systems, and give you guidance on how you can reboot your business. 

My expertise is in systems. With my eyes on how you are functioning in the office, we will quickly identify ways that you can do things better, easier, faster and cut out the extras that are driving you crazy. 

My commitment is to making your business run smoother and easier, what I need from you is 30 minutes a week to make sure that happens. 

Click here to schedule a call. 

I’m here to help you and your business get ORGANIZED so that when the New Year rolls around you’re off to have a great 2020!!