Judith Morgan, Wealth Coach for Entrepreneurs

A Very Productive 48 Hours

It just happens if you don't force it - you find form.   I hit the ground running yesterday morning with a big pile of stuff which needed doing and I polished most of it off yesterday - I ordered some new clothes which arrived in the post today. I have tried them all on, kept the ones I liked and already returned the ones I didn't and ordered some more. Mail order is a bit hit and miss but a boon.

I've done the filing, ordinary and financial.

I am up to date with The Archers.

I have placed adverts for my Rent2Own business which I had been meaning to do ever since Xmas.

I have spoken to clients, colleagues and contacts in Spain, LA, Brighton and Leatherhead.

I am up to date with all my Cartel paperwork and everything is posted off to Head Office.

I have Twittered, and blogged, written some marketing emails, and got out a couple of ezines.

I have taken three or four jobs out of my in-tray which have been there a very long time and crossed them off the list - including talking to BT (!), ordering some light bulbs, fixing the drainpipe.

The gardeners have started to concrete my side paths.

The cleaning lady has been.

I am closer than ever to getting my tenant's electric meter problem sorted out - closer than ever in four years of trying!

I've sorted out my inbox (only 2 emails awaiting attention).

I've written a thankyou email for lunch on Sunday and sent cards and presents to those I love who have birthdays tomorrow and Thursday, you know who you are and I celebrate you.  

I've paid bills, and walked to the Post Office and drawn out the cash for the labourers even though I shall be away in Lincoln on Thursday and in East Finchley on Friday.

And my car's coming back from the garage on Friday too.

Honestly, is there a feeling like being on top of yer jobs?   I think not.   I am an absolute saint who is retiring to bed early tonight since I have to be in Fulham for an 0830 start.   Yesterday I worked from 0830 to about 2300 and today I'm caving in at 2100.

The only thing I havent done is ordered some groceries online.   That will just have to wait.

And if I have promised to do something for you and not yet delivered, now would be the time to remind me!

Do you know how GOOD this feels?

Ladies Who Lunch: How Abundant is Maria Davies?

You just plod along, don't you.   Minding your own business, taking care of business, helping people, collecting in the money, nose to the grindstone, laughing, crying, coping, managing, intending, visualising, counting your blessings, feeding the cat, sorting out the drains, zapping tolerations, helping people, allowing help, getting folks out of bad debt and into good, worrying about family and being the best you can be, whilst fighting the demons, battling the traffic and the traffic wardens.   Such is daily life.

And then, extraordinarily, out of the blue, something wonderful happens and all the more delightful for being totally unexpected.

Entrepreneurial Marketing Genius or Menace?

Even before I came to live back in South London, I noticed that every "village" had a red stationary van parked up.   It was signwritten in white paint on behalf of a Man With A Van type business, £15 per hour (its gone up recently to £20).   I must say I thought it was funny, spotting these vans - "look! there's another one over there". Endless fun van-spotting.   I was in awe of the bloke who had the brass neck to park these things legally, taxed and insured, on the side of the road in high visibility spots.   Genius.

I was somewhat surprised, then, to read in last weekend's Mail on Sunday that if you live in a street where these vans are parked, you might regard them as a menace.   Oh yes, of course.   There's always two sides to every story, must remember that.

Even though I still have a sneaking regard for this bloke and his entrepreneurial marketing, I was sad to read that he doesn't seem to care who he offends, particularly (but not exclusively) another entrepreneurial business called The Admirable Crichton with whom he shares neighbouring space in an industrial estate in Camberwell.   The Admirable Crichton is a business I have long admired and so I was sorry to hear that.   I do hope they are able to find a way to peacefully co-exist.   His neighbours are quoted as saying that the Red Van Man "doesnt seem to care" which is a shame.

Gotta admire his chutzpah though and my guess is he wouldn't do it if his rather unusual marketing didnt pay.   Red Van Man - patch it up with your neighbours and keep on moving those vans so the same old Nimby's don't suffer and then we can all continue to enjoy your light-hearted and innovative marketing.

Create an online VA business to fit your life!

Among the many opportunities for online businesses there are a few that really are potential winners.  As a Virtual Assistant (or VA) you can utilise the administrative skills gained in the”real-world” as a PA, Executive Assistant, Secretary or Office Manager, transferring them to provide remote administrative services to clients from the comfort of your own home-office.

How do you make the shift and learn the skills necessary to run a successful business?  It takes more thought than simply setting up a computer with broadband connection!  Kate Bacon of Pier to Peer Coaching, who has run her own VA business for 5 years, has created a unique, specialist training programme for individuals wishing to turn their secretarial skills into a viable business. 

Graduates of the VA Business Start Up Course (the virtual group training programme) talk about how they’ve each created their own VA business for very different reasons. To read their inspiring stories, click here.  Pier to Peer are offering their next course, commencing Saturday, 3 May at 11:00am BST, as a Spring Special Offer.  To take advantage of this reduced price, click here remembering to insert the Reference Code: JM on the secure payment page!

Listen to me interviewing Kate to hear more about it.

The Elite Entrepreneurs Make Me Cry

During last week's Mastermind meeting of the Elite Entrepreneurs Club, I had to reach for the tissues not once, but twice!   One of my clients, with whom I have been working for a couple of years, came up with his best idea for his business yet.   An idea so stonking and so brave that I was in awe and the tears came quickly.   Another client managed to do the same thing to me, her achievements are awesome.   You both know who you are - thank you for making me cry, no really!

I wonder if anyone else other than a coach could know how precious it is to be present when your client emerges as an even better version of themselves?   More confident, more successful, more energised, more powerful.

One of the team even said to me "are we doing this next year?"   With results like that?   You betcha. I couldnt stop this work now if I wanted to.   Just to be present to the magnificence of my clients is a unique honour.   Not to mention the fun we had at the party the night before!

The Elite Entrepreneurs Club will indeed start again in September 2008 when we will re-convene a Wednesday Group and a Friday Group.   If you would like to talk to me now to make sure you get one of those precious seats in one of our EEC Mastermind Groups, then please don't delay, email me today.

Sharing the Dream with new Entrepreneur Lorraine

Today I enjoyed a very surreal day out.   I was invited to be the guest of Lorraine Armstrong, the new owner of Share the Dream as she went to present an award at The Wedding Awards 2008 as a proud sponsor.   Lorraine recently acquired this business from Money Gym client Debbie Bissett.   Debbie and her partner Claire are serial entrepreneurs who have decided just to focus on their own recruitment business and thus divested themselves of their online wedding dress exchange.

WOW!   What an eye opener.   The wedding industry is HUGE.   I sat next door to two sisters who won the best wedding venue for the second year running for their Leez Priory in Essex.   My table also included a shoes lady, a wedding planner and a dress designer, but none of them won sadly and I was feeling part of their teams by then!

The Wedding Awards 2008 was a very pink event - yay!   The champagne reception was OK, the lunch OK but the highlight of the day was the awards ceremony itself, and my favourite bit was when Lorraine was on stage!   Let me share the story of Lorraine, who I was thinking about as I drove to the gig this morning...

Entrepreneur People - Real Stories

I was interviewed this evening by Sherry Borzo for her show on BlogTalkRadio called Entrepreneur People - Real Stories about real people that teach lessons in business and in life.   I am proud to tell you I was Sherry's first Brit!   Sherry is based in Iowa which reminds me from one of my favourite quotes from Field of Dreams..."is this Heaven?   No, it's Iowa".   Should have asked Sherry if she'd seen Kevin and his field.

Anyway, I digress.   Sherry is looking for Entrepreneurs the world over to be interviewed on her show and share their real story.   If you fancy it, contact Sherry directly at dsmBuzz and mention my name.

Here's my interview.   She says I was awesome and wonderful but you know how those Americans talk. Gee!   Actually she was delightful and so if you love to talk and talk about yourself and your entrepreneurial tendencies and your business, get on down to Iowa, virtually.   Ain't the web wonderful?

Another Fantastic Entrepreneurial Idea

A wonderful thing happened today (and a very bad thing too, but that's another story) and the wonderful thing started off quite badly.   A parcel arrived.   From my accountant.   It was a calendar.  Yawn.   But no!   It's wonderful, its from a company called I Name It and each month has a seasonal photo on it with my name as part of each photo.   January has teams of skiers ranged up to form the words JUDITH and MORGAN and so it goes on throughout the year.   July has my name printed through a stick of pink rock, February is my name written in snow on a car windscreen, April I'm on the side of two one pound coins... you get the picture?

OK, so you have to either love your name (which I do) or be a monumental egotist (which I might be) but either way, you've got it admit its a FANTASTIC idea for a client gift, don't you think - ESPECIALLY FROM YOUR ACCOUNTANT?   Well done, Roland!

I think this is the best news I've ever received in the post from my accountant, especially in January, when you are expecting his bad news about the size of your tax bill.   Inspired.   

Well done also to I Name It.

Talking Business - radio phone-in callers required this Sunday!

It's your fourth and final (for the moment) chance to hear me on the radio this coming Sunday morning at 10 a.m.   I know, clashes HORRIBLY with The Archers!   The only programme on the radio I listen to every week, and now I am on at the same time - doh.

I've been having a blast in Golders Green on Jcom radio over the last few Sunday mornings.   I was invited to co-host Talking Business with Mike Segall.   It has been an eventful couple of weeks.   The first week the entire building was evacuated at 10.15 in the middle of our show as it was discovered to be live - electrically live, the building that is, not the show which was always intended to be a live small business phone-in.

The second week I was a minor guest on the Mike Segall show and the third week I came storming back and with a vengeance, I am the woman who bought Santa Claus to Golders Green! Apparently those of the Jewish faith do not have/believe in Santa Claus - who knew?   How naive of me and ill researched, mea culpa.   Happily they smiled at me in a beautifully indulgent and gentlemanly way.   Bless them, the Jcom boys.

Entrepreneurs, will 2008 be YOUR year?

Is yours a Great Little Business that's not yet working like the well-oiled machine you know it COULD be? 

Are you still chipping away at the coalface but not really making much impression where it counts - in your bank account?

Are you working all hours but exhausted and poor, fearing burnout but too terrified to stop?

But most importantly of all, are you ready to stop the rot and DO something about it?