News & Events :: The Unchained Entrepreneur

Archive for News & Events

Entrepreneurs, You’ve Got to Resolve Your Personal Issues before You Can Create Real Business Success

Posted by: Stacy Karacostas | Comments (0)

Tuesday, October 12th, 2010

Years ago, I was working with a long-time client who suddenly turned to me and said, “You’re really about 50% marketing consultant and 50% therapist, aren’t you?” The answer, of course, was yes. Still is.

For most entrepreneurs your business is your baby, your identity, your ego, maybe even your life. On top of that change is never easy. And lots of times my job is to navigate a whole variety of emotional land mines and move my clients to the point of being willing to take some serious marketing action. These landmines might include:

Fear of success preventing you from really stepping out
Fear of failure and all that would imply about you holding you back from taking action
Low self-worth causing you to constantly undervalue what you do
Control issues that prevent you from letting anything go so you’re forced to work yourself to the bone
Perfectionism or analysis paralysis that keep you from moving forward
And more…

Sometimes you can’t quite put your finger on the issue. Other times though, even when you know you have an issue you still can’t figure out how to deal with it.

Sure, you might find ways to move past it sometimes. Or something will happen to force you to embrace change. But fundamentally you ignore the issue and keep working your butt off even if you’re still not making enough money.

No matter what it’s all scary, personal stuff to deal with that impacts your business in a not so pleasant manner. So lots of entrepreneurs don’t deal with it.

One thing I do know for sure is that, until you deal with the issues on a deeper level, they’re going to keep coming back to haunt you.

Thankfully in the last few years I’ve discovered a way to resolve the vast majority of these issues…Energy work. From personal experience I know that one of the best sources of this kind of work is The Energy Mastery Coach, Amethyst Wyldfyre.

Want to learn more about how clearing your energy? Join me FREE when I interview Amethyst on our upcoming call:

Clear Your Energy & Electrify Your Business
Thursday, October 14th at 12:00 Pacific

Amethyst has some serious power that every entrepreneur can benefit from, whether you believe in energy work or not. I have experienced her work—and the amazing results—myself.

Hop on the call and check it out for yourself (or register for the recording if you can’t make the live call).

So be sure to reserve your spot by going here right now:

http://theunchainedentrepreneur.com/clearyourbiz

Do any of the issues listed above resonate with you? Are you struggling or stuck due to fear in your business? Share what you’re going through by leaving a comment and I’ll do my best to help…

Share and Enjoy:

Categories : Build Your Business, News & Events

Comments (0)

SPECIAL FREE TELESEMINAR: Clear Your Energy – Electrify Your Business

Posted by: Stacy Karacostas | Comments (0)

Friday, October 8th, 2010

Are you feeling stuck up against a wall you can’t seem to get past, and it’s holding you back from achieving real success?

Does it feel like, no matter what you do, your business isn’t growing as fast as it should and you’re not making the money you want and need?

I know what’s it like. I remember just a couple years back…I felt like I was doing everything I knew to do—and everything the experts said I should do—but the results weren’t what they needed to be. The really frustrating part of it was that when my clients followed my advice, their businesses soared!

This was my fifth business. While it was doing far better than any of my previous businesses, it still wasn’t growing like I knew it could—and like I wanted and needed it to. And I couldn’t figure out why.

A good friend of mine and fellow entrepreneur suggested I have some energy work done. Then the opportunity to try a special laser healing session with Amethyst Wyldfyre came my way. I’d never been to a shaman or energy worker like her before and had no idea what to expect.

What I got was nothing short of amazing!

I felt an incredible internal shifting that went on for about a year. It was as though physical blockages would periodically break free inside my head and dissipate like a clot in an artery. Before I knew it, both my business, and my life, had transformed.

Now I’m happier, more focused, more energized and less stressed than ever. Plus my business is rockin’ and rollin’ like never before! I’m so impressed with the results I just had to share her work with you.

If your business still isn’t growing like it should, hop on this call to learn how your own, internal blockages could be stopping you—and what to do about it. Get all the deets and register at NO COST here:

http://theunchainedentrepreneur.com/clearyourbiz

Have you tried energy work, or even worked with Amethyst yourself? If so, I’d love to hear about your experience and the results. Please do share by leaving a comment below…

Share and Enjoy:

Categories : Build Your Business, News & Events

Comments (0)

6 Tips for Easily Outsourcing Tasks to Your New Virtual Assistant

Posted by: Stacy Karacostas | Comments (4)

Thursday, May 27th, 2010

In case you haven’t noticed—or you’ve just stumbled across my marketing musings—I am a HUGE proponent of outsourcing to Virtual Assistants (or VAs). Especially if you’re a solo-entrepreneur! Because it truly is the best way save yourself from getting totally overwhelmed by the never ending to-do list that consumes your life. And because outsourcing to VAs lets you get way more marketing done, so your business grows even when you’re not working on it.

The problem is, while VAs are amazing—and I wouldn’t run a solo-business these days without them on my team—like almost anything involving human beings, it’s easy to have a bad experience with outsourcing if you don’t know what you’re doing.

Yet most people are so focused on finding a good VA they don’t even think about learning how to outsource and manage projects virtually. Then they find out the hard way there’s more to it than hiring someone and saying, “Here, do this.”

So today I’m sharing six key tips from my new Action Guide “The Overworked Entrepreneurs Guide to Outsourcing Success” to help you learn how to outsource effectively and happily.

12 Tips for Working Smoothly and Easily with Your New VA

(Excerpted from “The Overworked Entrepreneurs Guide to Outsourcing Success” by Stacy Karacostas)

1. Create how-to process documents and/or checklists for all recurring tasks in your business. Ideally do this as you go along. Having these makes it much easier to outsource those tasks, or even hand them off to an employee or partner.
If you’ve ever read “The E-Myth” or “The E-Myth Revisited”, by Michael Gerber you already know what I’m talking about, and hopefully have created some for your business. If not, the time to start is now!

You can also have your VA create them as they go along, especially for tasks you’ve never done. But it’s best if you can put them together for your VA to follow. I’ve included samples of a bunch of my own starting on page 78 as well as a variety of process docs and checklists in the Appendix and on the Worksheets & Handouts CD to get you started. So no need to reinvent the wheel.

2. Always include a task title that is clear and descriptive. This makes it easy to keep your tasks organized at both ends. If you put “New Task” or something generic in the title or subject line the item can get lost. Plus you’ll waste time trying to find the right message again if you need to reference it later.

3. Put your due date in the title or subject line, as well as in the main document, to make sure it doesn’t get overlooked. This is VERY important! Neglect this small detail and the chance of you getting your task completed on time goes way down.

4. Start any task request with a short overview of what you’re trying to accomplish. If they understand the big picture it’s easier for them to do the tasks correctly, make decisions on their own, and offer suggestions. But keep it short. One or two sentences should do the trick.

5. Use bullets or numbering to detail out each step or specific task you need done in order to complete your project. It can also be helpful to have them update you on progress by making a note under each bullet as they complete that task.

6. Only submit one task/project per request. Never submit two completely different projects in one request (or email) or you risk confusion and projects falling through the cracks. Send each one in a different email or request.

Wanna learn more about Virtual Assistants and what they can do for your business, including where to find them and how to get started outsourcing regardless of your budget? Join me for a F*R*E*E* encore of my info-packed 1.25 hour teleclass “Insider Secrets for Growing Your Business and Having a Life!”

Grab your spot on the call right here:
http://www.theunchainedentrepreneur.com/freecall

Got more tips on outsourcing effectively to Virtual Assistants? Lay ‘em on me by leaving a comment below!

Share and Enjoy:

Categories : Build Your Business, News & Events

Comments (4)

Successful Entrepreneur Reveals Trick to Doubling Business While Having a Life

Posted by: Stacy Karacostas | Comments (6)

Tuesday, May 18th, 2010

For solo-entrepreneurs who feel overwhelmed by having to do it all, all alone, Stacy Karacostas (Stacy K), Founder of The Unchained Entrepreneur, has the answer. Practical Marketing Expert and Outsourcing Specialist Stacy K has developed a systematic program for leveraging the power of Virtual Assistants to contract for specific, routine business tasks—especially marketing.

This proven strategy frees entrepreneurs to focus on the long-range actions that will grow their business, such as planning marketing campaigns and building their client base and networks. At the same time, it gives entrepreneurs back the time for family, friends, and hobbies because they have someone else doing the work for them, typically faster and better than they could themselves..

On Wednesday, May 26, at 12 noon PT / 3 pm ET, Stacy will host a FREE teleclass on the subject, “Insider Secrets for Growing Your Business and Having a Life.”

During this 75-minute call, Stacy is sharing the secrets to help listeners use Virtual Assistants (VAs) while avoiding potentially costly pitfalls and mistakes. They’ll learn how to make use of VAs’ particular areas of expertise, whether in office functions or in implementing marketing plans, to set loose the entrepreneur’s power to look at the big picture.

Join Stacy on May 26 to hear:

How a Virtual Assistant (VA) team can free you to work ON your business, not just IN your business
The top three questions to ask yourself so you can know for sure if outsourcing to a Virtual Assistant team is right for you and your business
The proven ways find the right VA team for you (“All VAs are not created equal!” Stacy points out)
Stacy’s foolproof tips on interviewing and checking references, and how skipping this step could end up causing your a great deal of grief down the road
How to choose the right level of VA (and focusing on the hourly rate is not the smartest way to do make this decision)
Starting off right: What you must learn about working with VAs (Stacy says, “I learned this the hard way—once I tell you about the mistakes I made, you won’t have to!”)
The secret for getting the VA to produce exactly the results you want
How a good VA can help grow and expand your business in ways you never thought possible
How working with the right VA team can increase your business income AND give you back your free time, so you remember why you wanted to start your own business to begin with
And much more

This call is designed specifically for solo entrepreneurs who feel overwhelmed, who know they need help but don’t want the burden of a payroll. During her free teleseminar, Stacy will reveal specific methods for maximizing the power of outsourcing. For entrepreneurs who are ready move their business forward and achieve their dreams, now is the time.

For more information about the teleseminar, visit http://theunchainedentrepreneur.com/freecall

Share and Enjoy: