Make-it-Fly "In-Flight Refueling -- Secrets for Small Business Success" Ezine, Volue 2, Issue 5

Feature Article: Twelve Stress-Busting Tips for Small-Business Owners

Business Owner in the Spotlight
Sheryl Williams
Ignite Matchmaking Service

Refueling Recommendations
Make-it-Fly® Programs
Alumni Board Openings

Make-it-Fly® MarketPlace

Next Make-it-Fly® Café

ISSN# 1552-3705

June 5, 2007
Volume 4, Issue 11

"In-Flight Refueling" is published twice a month.

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Tomorrow will be Dave’s 65th birthday! Looking back over the years—there is much to be grateful for: our special relationship with each other and the opportunity to work together, four wonderful children and six beautiful grandchildren, and so many outstanding clients, who are also dear friends. We are blessed!

Summer is here—great time to read some good books. A few we’ve been reading lately and recommend are: Jeffrey Gitomer’s Little Red Book of Sales Answers and Little Black Book of Connections. Also, Chocolates on the Pillow Aren’t Enough by Jonathan Tisch—an outstanding book on customer service—and The Adversity Advantage by Paul Stoltz and Erik Weihenmayer—how to turn everyday struggles into everyday greatness.

Our very best regards,

Dave and Victoria

Sheryl Williams
Ignite Matchmaking Service

What could be a more natural career transition than divorce attorney to professional matchmaker? In March 2006, Sheryl Williams did just that.

“[Being a divorce lawyer] gave me great insight into relationships that didn’t work,” she says. She thought she could help put together relationships that do work.

Sheryl Williams, Ignite Matchmating Service

As a professional matchmaker, Sheryl works one-on-one with high-caliber, commitment minded singles who are serious about being in a long lasting relationship. “I use a rigorous screening process including in-depth interviews and full background checks, paired with my keen intuition to make the matches,” Sheryl says. “My clients are busy professionals who have no problem meeting singles to date, but they want to find that right individual, someone they feel lucky to be with. My clients aren’t inclined to participate in the Internet dating trend, don’t hit the bar scene and appreciate the effectiveness, time savings and personal approach in having a professional handpick someone who is perfect for them.”

Q: What do you find most fulfilling about the business?
SW: There is so much that I love and find fulfilling about running my own business. The great people I meet, the flexibility, all the new things I learn about running a small business, but more than anything I love the feeling I get when a couple that I introduced get married or reach a milestone in their relationship.

Q: What motivated you to get into this business?
SW: After my short stint as a divorce lawyer, I then moved on to a lengthy career in human resources. During the course of my HR career, I interviewed thousands of people, constantly honing my perceptive skills. All of these experiences as well as an innate ability to connect with and understand people give me the skills I need to be an excellent matchmaker. Plus I just have a knack for making great matches! I’ve always known that one day I would be working for myself and when the perfect opportunity presented itself a few years ago I made the leap.

Q: What book has been most helpful to you in your business?
SW: Matchstick by Samantha Daniels. It’s not your typical business book—it’s a book written by a famous matchmaker that describes how she got her business started and then tells some amusing stories about her clients with some insight into her process for making matches. It was extremely helpful for me when developing my business model. For a more traditional business book, The Purple Cow by Seth Godin taught me not to be afraid to try new and different approaches when building my business.

Q: Who has influenced you most in your life?
SW: I know it might sound cliché, but my dad, Bob Cook, has been the most influential person in my life. He always pushed me to do my best. As an entrepreneur and successful business owner himself, I saw first hand just how difficult and rewarding owning a business can be. Even though he is now retired, he is still a wealth of knowledge and great advice as I grow my business.

Q: What has proved to be your most successful marketing strategy?
SW: I haven’t really found any one strategy that has proven to be more successful than any other. Each thing I’ve tried (print advertising, direct contact, referral rewards) has generated one to two new male clients, so I’m still looking for that slam dunk that works time and again!

Q: What have been the greatest challenges you have had to overcome, or are currently facing, in your business?
SW: Reaching my target market has proven to be the most difficult.

Q: How have you benefited from participating in a Make-it-Fly® board?
SW: I need someone to be accountable to besides myself. Being part of an advisory board gave me a group of people, as well as a monthly accountability partner, to help me stay accountable to my goals. At each meeting, just knowing that I’d have to give an update on how I was coming along on meeting my goals was a big enough incentive for me to get them done.

Q: What would you say to other business owners who are contemplating getting involved in a Make-it-Fly® board?
SW: There is no better way to get motivated to build or grow your business. You’ll learn and get ideas for just how to do that or to put new energy into an already existing business. Commit to a Make-it-Fly® Advisory Board, give it your full attention, set tough but reachable goals and take advantage of all that a Make-it-Fly® Board has to offer.

Sheryl Williams can be reached by phone at: 303-929-7304, or visit her website at: www.ignitematchmaking.com.

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Dave’s Networking Tip:

When attending an event, leave your personal problems at the door. Focus on others and offer a warm, sincere smile. Studies show that we’re more approachable when we smile. Maybe someone else has a problem you can solve.

Twelve Stress-Busting Tips
for Small-Business Owners
By Victoria Munro

Owning and running a business can be stressful – after all, the buck stops with you. If you’ve come from the corporate world of regular paychecks and support systems to help you get your job done, the challenges of entrepreneurship can be doubly stressful.

When ignored over time, stress can take a serious toll on your physical health, your ability to concentrate and your relationships, and it can ultimately lead to burnout. If you’re to be successful in the long run, you must take care of yourself and learn to handle stress in a healthy way.

It can be helpful to discover what triggers stress for you, then take a look inside and find out where each stressor came from. Ask yourself, “Where and when did this start?” Identifying and being aware of what causes our stress is sometimes all we need to stop continually falling into the same traps. Unrealistic scheduling of tasks – setting impractical time frames for the completion of projects – usually results in stress. Over-commitment is another stressor that easily creeps in, especially for new entrepreneurs desiring to please everyone.

12 Simple Stress-Busting Tips:

1.	Spend time reflecting on your life – look at the big picture. (When stressed, we tend to develop tunnel vision.)
2.	Exercise regularly – it relieves tension. Asking a friend to exercise with you will provide accountability and make it more fun.
3.	Talk difficult issues over with a trusted friend or board of advisors.
4.	Journal – write down all your concerns and how you feel about them, then throw the paper away and let it go.
5.	Take time out to meditate, pray or go for a walk and observe nature – the trees and flowers, listen to the birds, watch the ever-changing cloud formations. Spend time with people, get to know them and develop deeper relationships.
6.	Get adequate sleep and rest at night.
7.	Plan time for fun – laughter is good medicine. Taking time out to relax and play shouldn’t be considered a luxury.
8.	If you face a stressful situation that is beyond your control, put it in perspective by asking yourself how it will feel and what impact it will have on you five years, or even six months, from now.
9.	Focus on what is positive and see the glass as half full. Turn your attention to things that have gone well and praise yourself.
10.	View stressful situations, large and small, as opportunities to learn. Stop, step back and think about ways you could benefit from them. Velcro® and Post-It® notes were invented as solutions to frustrating problems.
11.	Take five-minute vacations. Stop work for five minutes, relax, breathe deeply and think about something fun and pleasant. This can refresh your mind and you’ll return to the project with new clarity.
12.	When you’ve completed a stressful task, reward yourself with something you enjoy.

Stress is generally a reaction to events, and we may have a choice of how we respond. List the things that cause you stress and ask yourself if eliminating, or at least minimizing, each of these stressors is even within your control. If it is, then brainstorm and write down possible solutions, making note of how you’ll handle them differently in the future. If the stressor is beyond your control – you just can’t do anything about it – remind yourself that getting upset over it is a waste of your energy and let it go. Take action that will lead to peace of mind.

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Victoria’s Marketing Advice

Anticipate Your Clients’ Needs
There is no room for complacency in today’s competitive market. Stay ahead by anticipating what else your clients will need in the future and design a strategy to be the first to offer this.

Is Your Marketing Copy Promoting
or Demoting Your Business?

A picture is worth a thousand words, but a picture alone won’t sell your product or service. Your printed words are your call to action.

Boring brochures, lackluster websites, and uninspiring newsletters demote your business. Good copy promotes your business!

You didn’t go into business to write copy – I did.

For effective marketing copy, including brochures, flyers, newsletters, press releases, websites, e-mail marketing, and more,
call me, Shannon Kolman, at 720-220-2180.

READING THIS AD? THEN WHY NOT PUT YOURS HERE TOO? The In-Flight Refueling Ezine reaches more than 1,800 entrepreneurs, small-biz owners, consultants and marketers. Reserve your advertising spot today in the next In-Flight Refueling Ezine,
http://www.make-it-fly.com/ezineads.html.

Paid Advertising Disclaimer: Make-it-Fly® LLC does not represent or endorse the accuracy or reliability of any of the paid advertisements above or the quality of any products, services, information, or other materials displayed, purchased, or obtained by you as a result of an offer in connection with any ad. It's common sense to do your own due diligence before purchasing any product.

The Make-it-Fly® Advisory Board 101

Each Make-it-Fly® Advisory Board 101 program consists of 12 non-competing business owners who meet once a month for three consecutive months. In the spirit of giving, they offer each other solutions, ideas, resources and encouragement. Dave and Victoria facilitate each group and share powerful tools to assist business owners in reaching their goals and living more balanced lives.

If you have experienced a Make-it-Fly® program, please share the following openings with other business owners who need support. Call Dave for more information at 720-962-8888.

Programs are held from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Current program openings in Denver:

Thursdays - July 5, August 2, September 6, 2007
Fridays - September 7, October 5, November 2, 2007
Tuesdays - October 2, November 6, December 4, 2007

Click here to sign up for Advisory Boards.
Or call Dave at 720-962-8888.

Alumni Boards are groups of 12-14 small-business owners who have participated in at least one Make-it-Fly® Advisory Board 101 and wish to continue the support and accountability with a group of like-minded, giving business associates. Members meet once a month for a three-hour meeting. If you completed the initial Make-it-Fly® Advisory Board 101 and are interested in more information on Alumni Boards, call Dave at 720-962-8888.

Make-it-Fly® Café
High altitude networking, where exceptional people help each other.

Next Café is scheduled for

Date: Thursday, June 28, 2007

Time: 4:30 to 7 p.m.

Location: Seasons Café in the DTC, located at 8101 East Belleview, in the Marina Square Center.

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Contact Make-it-Fly® - Dave and Victoria:

email: info@make-it-Fly.com
voice: 720-962-8888
web: www.make-it-fly.com

Make-it-Fly® LLC
720-962-8888
355 South Teller Street, Suite 200, Lakewood, CO 80235, USA
http://www.make-it-fly.com