Across The Desk With Elizabeth Plouffe

Many small business owners get caught in the weeds of running their business. The small details that can mire you down instead of actually helping you move your business forward. Learn why the pain of churn is something you need to avoid when building your business and how adding the right strategies can help avoid this common pitfall.

If you are an entrepreneur who happens to write, or you are planning to be a writing entrepreneur, then this is a book for you. Elizabeth Bergs', "Escaping in to the Open - The Art of Writing True" is a fantastic resource. With creative prompts, ideas for writing groups and tips on how to write for business, this book will get your creative voice working. Elizabeth Berg is a best selling author with over 25 books to her credit. Looking forward to hearing how you got your creative voice going ;)

Sometimes working from home can be great. Other times? People forget that working is as working does and working from home is still working. However, the great part can truly come in handy when life and family throw you a curve ball and you need to put on the Mommy hat and make the magic. Sound familiar?

So have you had a setback that messed with your networking mojo? We've all had times where our business is going through a down and you still need to be able to get out there and promote. Or have you decided to pivot your business but the messaging just isn't quite there yet? Best way to fix both of these problems is to keep putting yourself out there and find a networking husband or wife who will drag you kicking and screaming and maybe kick in a beer while you get your mojo back on track.

No, this is not like build a bear. Trust me. What it is, is the sound advice of creating a relationship with a trusted colleague who will help you build your business. Not in a brick by brick way but by being someone who holds you accountable for goals and targets that might fall prey to the monster of procrastination if we don't use this strong tactic to keep it in check. Join me with Doug Osborne and learn his tips and tricks for getting your business ahead!

If you are a passionate reader who isn't a fan of wasting time on crappy books, then Wise Word Wednesdays is for you. As an entrepreneur, part of my learning curve is learning from the experts and reading everything I can to help my business. This week we delve in to EMyth Mastery by Michael Gerber which provides a mix of story and practical advice on how to develop your business skills. Why? Because we all think that we probably have what it takes to be an entrepreneur. At least you do if you are considering being in the 10%. What we sometimes fail to realize is that taking the time to identify our skill weaknesses will make our business venture stronger in the long run.

Some of us might think we have the dream team of idea generation right in our own heads. After all - who's going to love our ideas more than we do right? This strategy has too many faults to mention though one does slip out in the previous sentence. Loving our ideas does not make them a good idea. In this episode of Entrepreneurial Entrails, I share my idea generating techniques as well as the suggestion that you make a new dream team. Include some colleagues or coaches that you trust who will give you the honest feedback your fantastic idea deserves!

Are you just in the process of building your company culture? Noticing some employees are acting a bit like asshats? Maybe it's time to take a look at your leadership style and see if imitation isn't always the sincerest form of flattery. Some changes might be needed but your employees will respect you more. Isn't that what being a good leader is all about? Join me as we have a quick chatter about some leadership ideas to incorporate in to your business.

Are you excited by the idea of having a business? Do you know what that feeling is called? Mojo. Having the energy, the enthusiasm, the conviction to make that idea a reality. Learn more from Doug Osborne about what mojo can do for your business!

Wise Wednesdays - well aren't I wise every day? Some days more than others. WW is about sharing other people's wise words. This podcast is about the Power of Visual Storytelling by Ekaterina Walter and Jessica Gioglio. I can guarantee you I did NOT pronounce Jessica's last name correctly but points for trying. This is a great book for any business owner who needs to know more about how to share their business' story and the best way to do it. I also partly throw communication consultants under the bus by mentioning you might want to educate yourself before allowing someone you don't know to wield the pen or keyboard on behalf of your business. And yes - I'm a communications consultant ...

I'm a firm believer in supporting local community groups as is my friend Monica Graves of Glamjulz. Why? Because we know that giving back is the BEST way to help a community grow and prosper. This chat Across the Desk we talk about the teachers' gift initiative Monica is doing to support Halton Food for Thought. Looking for a great way to say thanks to your kids teacher AND give back to the community? Win, win!

Have you ever had the chance to learn something new but thought it might make you look stupid to admit you didn't already know? Or had a REALLY freaking great idea that you let go to mold because you were too afraid to share it? It all comes down to your willingness and ability to be vulnerable.

If you've decided to shut down your business, that can suck disco balls. And if you owned a disco, well, you've got lots of shiny things to remind you about your anti-success. Me? I've got @ symbols / statues / socks / marketing material - the list goes on. Looking at it used to annoy me. Now? Now I realize the gift of being an entrepreneur is that I've learned lessons to help me be more successful next time ;) Thanks for joining me!

Are you working in an organization where the boss just isn't quite the boss you'd like them to be? In fact, are they an asshat? Rude term for sure. But we've all had an asshat in our life that made working miserable. This week I'm part of Spark the Change where we try to turn asshats in to leaders that we want to work for, and dare I say, follow.

Do you write a ton of great ideas down and then losing money by not acting on them? Me too! So let's chat about how your brain creates great ideas and how your lack of process to use it, just sucks and makes you less banana bread.

Are you one of those entrepreneurs who writes things down like I do? Does the creative demon take hold of your hand and force you to record all those crazy, amazing ideas? And then you just leave that shit there. On the page or in the audio file. All that creativity going to rot like a stinky banana at the bottom of your lunch bag. Yuck. So let's chat about that. How do you keep your banana from going stinky and using those ideas to make you money?

If you are in a competitive market, you need to take chances on marketing yourself. For example - if there are five other coffee shops within swinging a cat you need to step it up. And if one of those shops happens to rhyme with Cartucks? You REALLY need to step it up. Product alone isn't going to get people in the door my friend. So - take a chance. Start with small weird things and build up to bigger weird things but for goodness sake try some weird things. Or the state of your business my friend are going to rhyme with ducked ...

Are you tired of the BS? In this case BS stands for back stabbing or behind the scenes sabotage. I love working with other people, sharing ideas and building up success. For EVERYBODY! I play in the sandbox with the firm belief that if you like my shovel better you'll play with me but if that guys bucket is more to your liking, well, he'll be your buddy today. Same thing in business. So if you need help growing your business or solving a business problem, who do you share your angst with???

Do you work from home? Does that suck sometimes? I agree. I feel like I've just graduated college and am back to living in my parents basement except it's my damn basement, which I guess is a step up. And since I have a strong dislike for conducting business in coffee shops, I thought my options were limited until a friend gave me a GREAT suggestion to solve my basement dwelling predicament.

Guest Teresa Baerg is a recent success story out of the Corporate Communications program at Sheridan College. We met in 2012 and connected over the life of the mature student and how to handle term papers while getting dinner ready. Fast forward 3 years and now Teresa is using her education and passion for being involved in the local Burlington community, to carve out a career as a freelance journalist, editor for two local community platforms and promoter of local businesses. How's that for kicking ass and taking names?