Blog - Translate Your Skills -

Not Just About Legacy – Knowledge Sharing

In the realm of business, the tradition of passing down knowledge echoes the apprenticeship models of the past. As Simon Sinek says, we haven’t been developing the skills of taking care of each other. This is true for today’s dynamic business world, this vital practice has largely been overshadowed for the most part.

As seasoned professionals face challenges in employment (according to 2021 AARP data, 78% of older workers have seen or experienced workplace age discrimination) and financial stability, I believe that an opportunity emerges.

elderly workers on zoom call illustration Imagine a world where you transform your wealth of experience into a guiding light for the next generation of entrepreneurs, establishing a cycle of sustainable success.

Knowledge and Wisdom But Less Energy

Think about how you dedicated years in the corporate sector, cultivating skills, tackling complex projects, and navigating numerous obstacles.

This journey equipped you with invaluable insights, ripe for sharing with new eager entrepreneurs with endless energy.

By engaging in knowledge sharing, you not only enrich the future business landscape but also carve out a new path for income and fulfillment for yourself.

Mature Career Transitioners, Lead the Way

Assess Your Unique Contributions: Reflect on your expertise and skills that could benefit the younger generation. Whether it’s mastery in project management or marketing ingenuity, pinpointing your strengths ensures you can offer the most value.
Identify Your Audience: Look for young entrepreneurs who could use your insights. Connect with them to explain your idea.
Adapt to Their World: Understand the challenges and aspirations of younger business minds, especially their digital-first approach. Offering a part-time work-from-home position will likely resonate more effectively.
Develop a Compelling Proposition: Outline the mutual benefits of your intern to owner proposal. Highlight how your guidance can fast-track their growth and minimize trial-and-error.
Engage in Active Knowledge Transfer: While they work for you, make sure you share your wisdom. Don’t limit your sharing to the workings of your business, also help them with their business if they are starting one.
Facilitate a Smooth Transition: As your business matures with the help of their endless energy, gradually shift control to the younger paid intern. Determine when it’s time to sell the business to her and transition into an advisory.

Overcoming Obstacles and Building Success Stories

Don’t let skepticism deter you. Your experience offers a unique vantage point invaluable to young entrepreneurs. Networking within entrepreneurial circles and building relationships are crucial in finding the right intern who shares your vision and values.

By engaging in knowledge sharing, and ultimately selling the business, you contribute to a legacy of prosperity and continuous learning in the business world.

Fostering a Future of Collective Growth

In 2022, Terrence Howard was quoted as saying “I retired two years ago, for the most part. I was done. I asked Sidney Poitier 10 years ago does he want to do any more work, and he said, ‘Why would I spend my last 10 years doing an impersonation of myself?’ And that’s what I’ve gotten to.” “Yes, there’s some better actors out there that can do things that I was never able to do,” he said. “So, I want to applaud them, I want to be excited about what they do.”

As we age, we have the opportunity to not only applaud the younger generation but also assist them.

Knowledge sharing transcends mere income generation in later years; it’s about forging a legacy of success and wisdom. Your experiences can guide new entrepreneurs through their entrepreneurial journey, fostering business mindset that thrives for generations. Consider how you can play a pivotal role in this cultural shift, using your skills to empower others today and create a lasting impact.

Let’s embrace the potential of knowledge sharing, not as an outdated concept, but as a crucial tool for a flourishing future.

Failure Won’t Kill You But It Will (Likely) Make You Better

Business Change

Failure is often seen as something to be avoided, a mark of defeat or incompetence. However, it is in failure that we find some of life’s most valuable lessons and opportunities for personal, professional, and entrepreneurial growth.

woman looking at phone, failing at Etsy As Joan Borysenko eloquently states in her book Fire in the Soul, “showing up, paying attention, telling the truth, and not being attached to results” are key principles that can guide us through the ups and downs of life. These principles remind us to be present, to be authentic, and to detach ourselves from the outcome.

While these principles are powerful in their own right, they are incomplete without one crucial component: taking action. It’s not enough to simply show up and be aware; we must also have the courage and determination to take meaningful steps towards our goals.

Action propels us forward, even if the results we desire do not materialize immediately. It is through taking action that we learn, adapt, and grow. Failure becomes less daunting when we embrace it as a stepping stone on our journey towards success.

In a Facebook group, someone posted that they are considering closing their Etsy shop. I asked if she considered Etsy to be her only option for selling. She also will be closing down her website.

This exchange reminded me of a Dan Sullivan quote “”you’re either on the winning team or you’re on the learning team”. I definitely didn’t get the impression that the poster was thinking about how she could learn from her “Etsy” failure.

In a world that often prizes perfection and success at all costs, it is important to remember that failure is not something to be feared or avoided. It is an essential part of the human experience, a catalyst for growth and success.

woman hiding under pillow By embodying the principles of showing up, paying attention, telling the truth, and not being attached to results, and by taking deliberate action towards our goals, we can navigate failure with resilience and learn invaluable lessons along the way. So let us embrace failure as a teacher, recognizing that it is through our failures that we find the strength and wisdom to achieve true success.

The Paradox of Overdoing

In today’s fast-paced and complex world, we often find ourselves caught in the paradox of overdoing. With limited time and countless decisions to make, it can be tempting to overanalyze every choice we face. However, it is important to remember that perfection is not the ultimate goal. As long as we are in the habit of doing what is right, even if the outcome falls short of our expectations, it is acceptable.

Perceived failures should not be seen as permanent setbacks but rather as valuable lessons for our future endeavors. These lessons may not always be immediately applicable or clear, but they become part of our personal growth and development. Each failure provides an opportunity for reflection, learning, and adaptation. It is through these perceived failures that we gain a deeper understanding of ourselves and the world around us. So let us embrace the paradox of overdoing and recognize that sometimes, the most valuable lessons come from the unexpected outcomes of our actions.

Balancing Work and Planning

Finding the right balance between doing the work and spending time on strategizing and planning can be a challenge for entrepreneurs. There is often confusion about where to direct our energy and efforts. However, agility plays a crucial role in business success. In today’s rapidly changing landscape, being adaptable and flexible is essential.

woman working and smiling Entrepreneurs must embrace an agile mindset, which allows them to quickly adapt to changes in trends and overcome challenges. This mindset involves being open to new ideas, exploring different approaches, and constantly learning from experiences. Agility enables entrepreneurs to stay ahead of the curve and seize opportunities that arise in the ever-evolving business environment.

A prime example of a company that embodies agility is Adobe. They have shifted away from traditional annual performance appraisals and instead focus on ongoing discussions between employees and managers. This approach reflects the need for continuous feedback and adjustment in today’s dynamic work environment. By embracing ongoing discussions and feedback loops, entrepreneurs can ensure that they stay aligned with their goals, make timely adjustments, and foster a one-person culture of constant growth and improvement. Balancing work and planning requires entrepreneurs to adopt an agile mindset that prioritizes adaptability, ongoing self awareness, and strategic flexibility.

The Importance of Paying Attention

In our journey towards success, it is essential to emphasize the importance of paying attention. Being present and aware while pursuing our goals allows us to fully engage with our surroundings and make the most of every opportunity. For example, asking more questions and challenging the status quo can help us gain deeper insights and uncover new perspectives. By questioning the way things are done and seeking to understand the underlying reasons, we can unlock innovative solutions and drive meaningful change.

Paying attention enables us to navigate our journey with our eyes open, even if we don’t achieve the desired results. It allows us to observe and absorb valuable lessons from both successes and failures. Every experience, whether positive or negative, offers an opportunity for growth and learning. By paying attention to the details and intricacies of our endeavors, we can identify patterns, make informed decisions, and adjust our approach accordingly. It is through this mindful awareness that we gain the wisdom to navigate challenges, seize opportunities, and chart a course towards success.

In a world that often values speed and instant gratification, paying attention may seem counterintuitive. However, it is this deliberate focus that allows us to cultivate a deep understanding of ourselves and the world around us. So let us embrace the importance of paying attention, as it is through this intentional awareness that we can make informed choices, uncover hidden possibilities, and ultimately thrive in our pursuit of success.

The Road to Success: Embracing Failure

goal crossed out...failed On the road to success, one of the main obstacles we face is the tendency to give up prematurely when faced with failure or unexpected outcomes. It is natural to feel discouraged or disheartened when things don’t go according to plan. However, embracing failure and learning from our mistakes is crucial, particularly for agile entrepreneurs. Failure is not something to be feared or avoided; it is an integral part of the learning process and a stepping stone towards success.

In a constantly changing business landscape, failure provides invaluable lessons that help us adapt and grow. Each setback or misstep offers an opportunity for reflection, innovation, and improvement. By embracing failure and maintaining a growth mindset, we can transform setbacks into stepping stones towards our goals. It is through these failures that we gain resilience, wisdom, and the ability to navigate the ups and downs of entrepreneurship with confidence.

Ultimately, failure is not an endpoint but a necessary part of the journey towards success. It allows us to refine our strategies, test new ideas, and discover what works best for our unique circumstances. So let us remember that failure is not a sign of defeat but a catalyst for growth. By embracing failure and learning from our mistakes, we can build the resilience and adaptability necessary to thrive in today’s dynamic business world.

Learning to expect and accept failure, and even embracing it, can yield numerous benefits in our entrepreneurial journey. While objections such as limited time or past success leading to complacency may arise, it is important to remember that failure is a natural part of growth and innovation. It is through failure that we learn valuable lessons, uncover hidden strengths, and develop resilience.

I recall a personal anecdote from my own career that initially felt like a failure but ultimately revealed a superb skill set and excellent business acumen. As a project manager, I often was assigned troubled projects where a lot of the stakeholders were not happy when I joined the team. Initially, I did not appreciate that I was forced to deal with such challenging projects while my coworkers had the easy projects. Not until I had 2 major projects while my coworkers had none, did I realize it was intentional. I was given the difficult projects because I could turn them around.

Dealing with challenging projects taught me a lot. I learned to make risk management a prioritiy but it took me more time to realize that people management should be the first priority. All of unhappy stakeholders taught me to become a servant leader. If I would not have failed with winning over the stakeholder when I joined the team, I likely would have never really understood the importance of always serving the customers.

To approach failure in a constructive manner, it can be helpful to follow a simple framework: plan, do, review, replan, and redo PDRRR. This iterative process allows us to set clear goals, take action, evaluate the results, make adjustments, and try again. By continuously learning from our failures and refining our approach, we can move closer to our objectives.

Embracing failure and cultivating an agile mindset requires us to ask questions, explore different paths, believe in ourselves, and dream big. It is through this mindset that we develop resilience and confidence in navigating the unpredictable nature of the business world. So let us embrace failure as an opportunity for growth and innovation, and approach our entrepreneurial journey with an agile mindset. By doing so, we can navigate the ups and downs with resilience, learn from our failures, and ultimately achieve success on our own terms.

Feeling Helpless

Uncategorized

You’ve spent many years in corporate America and you’re not as fulfilled as you want to be. You’ve been wanting to go out on your own for a while but you haven’t.

I’ve found that it’s important to recognize habits that can contribute to feelings of helplessness and hold you back from pursuing your dreams of entrepreneurship.

Comparing yourself to others and constantly seeking approval from others can lead to a sense of inadequacy and self-doubt. (You already know this so I’m only reminding you.) It’s important to focus on your own journey and celebrate your own victories, no matter how small. Take time to do that each day, multiple times a day if you can.

And please don’t let the opinions of others define your worth. Not your boss, your coworker, your neighbor, your childhood friend.

Similarly, people-pleasing can be a dangerous habit. A lot of us have formed this habit unfortunately. Sacrificing your own happiness for the approval of others can lead to feeling trapped and unfulfilled. Sound familiar?

Remember to prioritize your own goals and values and don’t let the expectations of others hold you back.

Might I add that by limiting negative thoughts and focusing on the positives, you can overcome feelings of helplessness and take control of your life. Celebrate your victories and learn from your setbacks. Don’t be afraid to take calculated risks and pursue your dreams, even if it means stepping outside of your comfort zone.

Becoming an entrepreneur can be a scary move, but with careful planning and a willingness to adapt, you can make a real go of it. Remember to seek out mentors and connect with other entrepreneurs who can offer guidance and support. Support is really key.

Remember that failure is often part of the process, and it’s important to learn from your mistakes and keep pushing forward…just like you have done in your professional career.

So don’t let people-pleasing and comparing to others hold you back. Take the next steps towards your entrepreneur dream and build the life that you truly desire.

Not Sure What to Believe

Uncategorized

I’m sure you’ve seen seen the headlines. I wanted to understand the numbers better.

According to Mortgage News Daily, mortgage purchase applications are down 18% and refinance applications are down more than 85% in 2022 compared to 2021.

We weren’t expecting this to happen so quickly, were we?

This can be scary, especially for those who aren’t sure how this will affect their livelihood. I’m thinking of those who have made, or planning to make, mortgage signing their full-time business.

It’s easy to throw our hands up and give up. But we know that if we allow this way of thinking to creep into our mind, it can take control.

I’m going to follow the trends of course but I’m also going to try my best to…

Pay Attention to Triggers

It’s not usually just the feeling of overwhelm that might be associated with not knowing what to believe when it comes to the impacts of the housing market. It goes deeper than that. Does this mean that it would be hard to sell my house in the next few years?

And I realize that that there is also fear about how some of you will ultimately pay future bills or how you will be able to leave your 9-5 job.

I get it.

And I know that differentiating the two is important because although we can’t control the impacts to the housing market, we can come up with a Plan B’s.

Practice Self Compassion

This may be one of the hardest things to do but I’m really going to try.

We are all guilty of talking to ourselves negatively. But when times feel so uncertain, we really need to have compassion for ourselves and we need to speak kindly to ourselves.

Staying as positive as possible will help keep the feelings of fear in check.

Remember To Take Control, Do Things Differently

I’ve make a lot of decisions in the last 10 years to have more control of my life and I’m guessing you have as well.

Personally, to help keep a certain level of control, I am looking to do things a little differently and increase my income streams. And to make that happen I know that I need to focus more.

I’m back to meditating every morning, monthly and weekly goals, and a daily to do list.

For mortgage signing agents, maybe instead of constantly looking for the latest opinions about the economy or checking email for new assignments, brainstorm other ways to use your commission and/or skills to make money?

I have always been a believer that if it seems as if the original plan won’t work, try something new.

We may not have the ability to stop what is going on with the economy but each of us has the ability to tweak the original plan. Becoming an owner operated business, self employed means you get to make decisions…including decisions to change the course.

Social Media Marketing – Connect and Get Discovered

Chief Marketing Officer, Communication

Marketing is a somewhat broad term. There are subsets and even subsets of the subsets.

Social Media Marketing is a form of internet marketing. Its approach is to obtain branding and marketing communication goals through the participation in various social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest and YouTube as well as anywhere else content can be shared.

The goal of each social media marketing campaign can vary from business to business. But usually it includes brand awareness, increasing visibility and subsequently selling products.

Social Media Marketing As A Tool

Social Media Marketing has become a foundational tool for connecting with customers and optimizing an online presence for most businesses. Social media meaning is often contextual but it generally refers to the tools, websites, and platforms, folks use to publish, converse and share content online.

In order to use social media effectively, you first need to understand your target market. This knowledge is the basis of your overall marketing strategy. For example, if your target customers are professionals who commute, then a podcast that can be downloaded may be the type of content you choose to deliver.

Connect

Videos, podcasts, blogs, discussion boards and social networking sites are all tools that solopreneurs can use to build relationships with their customers and keep them on websites longer.

One of the most important things you can do with social media is to use it to help you build relationships with your target customers and existing customers. This is important and something you’ll want to do on an ongoing basis.

Social media help you to add personality to your brand. This can especially be done by your blog since you generally have the most control there out of all the sites and platforms. Your blog posts give insight into who you are as a person and not just information about the products and services you offer. This helps folks to connect to you.

Social media encourages visits to your site. So keep adding content to encourage customers to come back to see what is new and ideally comment and share with others.

Get Discovered

Social media provides a variety of opportunities for folks to present optimized content. And better yet, this content is indexed by search engines which can ultimately improve your site rating.

Video is increasingly becoming more and more popular. If you choose to use video, there are few things to know about video. Some advantages that might even make those who haven’t tried it yet to possibly reconsider.

– Posting video content on YouTube is a great way to improve your position in Google’s universal search results.

– YouTube viewers can view your video and easily share to their own websites and social networking profiles.

– YouTube is a great way to reach more folks and if done properly you can generate buzz around your new products. This is especially true if your product is visual.

Social media platforms are often the first thing that comes to mind when folks think of social media marketing. But it’s more than than. Your blog posts are also shareable and you decide if you want to allow commenting.

Using social media can help you build interest and loyalty among customers and, at the same time, if you decide, can also improve your search engine optimization rankings. There are various mini goals social media can help you with…it’s a great tool.

So how do you use social media?

3 Social Media Myths

Chief Marketing Officer

Social media is a powerful technology but it’s also often misunderstood. In its simplest form, social media is a way to connect with old friends from childhood or college and a way to share pieces of your daily life. In its more complex form, social media is a unique way to market your business and products to the world in a fairly short amount of time. While you can take months or years to study the ins and outs of social media and craft corresponding business strategies, there are three common myths about social media that solopreneurs can dispel today.

Myth #1: You must use every single social media platform.

Expanding your reach is certainly a goal for solopreneurs as that generally gets more sales, which should equal increased profit. However, a question to ask before signing up and using every platform is: where is my ideal customer? Using Facebook just because it has over 1 billion users doesn’t mean those 1 billion users will find you and start purchasing. Identify your ideal customer and find out where they hang out. Those are the platforms you should use.

Myth #2: Aim for every post to go viral.

It’s fun to see a post go viral as they are usually entertaining or thought provoking but of the viral campaigns you’ve noticed recently, could you say what company sponsored them? I can’t either. Aim to provide value in your posts mixed in with some of your personality as opposed to aiming for shock or entertainment value. Your ideal customer wants to learn from you so your valuable lesson will be heard and remembered long after the latest viral video fades away.

Myth #3: Having a large number of followers equals increased profits.

It can be an ego boost to see a large number of social media followers but are these followers interacting with you? Are they liking or sharing your posts? Are they leaving comments? If not, then chances are they aren’t your ideal customer and chances are they will never purchase anything from you. Evaluate your own posts; it’s quite possible they’re boring and that’s the reason for no response. Be more creative with your posts and watch for audience interaction. You’re not appealing to everyone; you’re appealing to a small fraction of the world’s population. Pay attention to finding that demographic and the number of engaged audience members will follow, as will the profits.