The Ultimate List of Entrepreneurial Hacks …!

If you believe somehow, you’re set to a certain capability and level of accomplishment, then you’ll never achieve anything more. However, if you believe you can get better and do other things, that growth mindset will enable you to accomplish more.
~ Guy Kawasaki, Entrepreneur/New York Times Best Selling Author

Entrepreneurial hacks truly have a lot to do with mindset. You first need to believe in yourself and your business before you can take any additional steps on the path to growth. Which is what brings me here today with this special blog post which is all about the hacks every entrepreneur needs to know about in order to survive in this big bad world of business.

It’s all about our endgame which for every entrepreneur is about achieving massive results and crushing goals.

Hack People.

Business life isn’t about the technology in this insanely busy social world we live in. It’s about the people, which is something that is often underestimated. It’s about the impact we have and create (especially thanks to platforms such as LinkedIn). So, instead of constantly analyzing the ever-changing algorithms and the big data that runs alongside it, put yourself in touch with the human part of it all. Make connections – real authentic connections — and turn those connections into the data you’re looking for.

Sticky Notes are Your Friend.

I seriously use coloured sticky notes all day long. I paste them everywhere to remind me of the things I want/need to get done. It helps me manage not only my time and my clients time but also the after-hours time in my personal life – even for the simplest things. For me, these fun coloured pieces of paper keep my mind clear and leave room for the real tasks at hand so I don’t have to try to remember (or worry about forgetting) anything else besides the important items I’m taking care of.

CHALLENGE: Try this for one week then come back and comment on this blog post and let me know how it helped your days along. Did it make things better? Were you able to accomplish more while not overthinking about the things you’re trying to not forget about? Share your experience.

Pounce on Opportunities.

You know that saying “opportunity comes knocking”? Be the one who always opens the doors and welcomes with open arms. It doesn’t matter if you’re in a rut and looking for an escape route, pondering on forging a new partnership or perhaps looking for a second chance at something or with someone. It’s all about breaking through. That spark inside us that grew us into the entrepreneurs we all came from some door that was opened, perhaps even an unplanned meeting. And that’s literally all it took to light the fuse that was dimly flickering. Take advantage of all situations that land on your path and be alive to all possibilities. Be willing to take risks, step over the boundaries of fear, try new things and be a believer. Entrepreneurs who build real companies not only benefit from these growth opportunities, but they also create jobs which in return trigger more defining moments.

Create Time Blocks.

I do my best to guard my time fiercely which may sound extreme, but it’s honestly one of the simplest and most effective tactics for anyone to live by. Why? Because the demands on our time are greater now than ever before. Especially for those of us who own a business. With information coming at us in each direction at a rate faster than we can digest it, responsibilities handed to us faster than the speed of light and trying to find as many ways as possible to get each daunting task into your day …! But there is a way to get more done of what you need and want with less distraction. In short … you must schedule stuff. And no, not just meetings and appointments, but all the stuff that matters most to you and your business. You can do that by scheduling time blocks into your day. So, don’t delay and start building those time blocks to keep yourself laser focused.

Be (and stay) Organized.

Okay, let’s just be honest here. We all know that one person who constantly has their life together, is never late, their house is always spotless, and they always seem to have a plan. So, instead of feeling the opposite and like you’re always falling off the track it’s really as simple as implementing some solid organization habits for yourself.

For more tips on my golden routines check out my post: Habits of Highly Organized People.

Organized people are not born, they’re built. ~ John Trosko, Professional Organizer

Hack Your Thoughts.

Being an entrepreneur is kind of like playing a game of chess. You must always think at least 3 steps ahead. You must think long-term and have a true vision for your endgame. Think big and small in all directions. Do the work that needs to be done but don’t forget about the path you are working towards. Take time to step back, look at the bigger picture and provide direction to your overall vision. Then let success soak its way in.

I think we count our achievements too soon. Some people think they will be rich on the first day their website is online. There is a much better perspective: the first day your website is up, it will look the worst that it is ever going to look. It’s the worst product offering you’ll ever have because you will keep improving it from there. ~ Andrea Lake, Found of Sticker Junkie

“To-Do” the Heck Out of Your Calendar.

Before I end my business day, I take at least 5 to 15 minutes to list everything I need to accomplish the next day (sometimes the rest of the week), then open my trusty Asana platform and create specific calendar (and task) events for those items. This allows me to quickly see all I have/want to do as well as what kind of time is involved. I do this every single evening and it almost always allows me to get my to-do list completed. It also helps me gauge whether I need to delegate some of my to do list so I’m not overworked and wearing too many hats.

#Organization #Outsourcing #HatsAreNotAlwaysFun

Don’t Be a Pro at Everything.

It’s tempting to wear every hat in the business, especially if you love to learn new things and technologies. But if you want to wear all those crazy entrepreneur hats, you will have to pull more than one rabbit out of each in order to be extremely successful at it all. So, that’s why I like to remind people that even though Virtually Untangled offers a unique array of creative and organized services I don’t claim, nor want to be, a pro at everything. I will give it my all, do plenty of research and help in every single way possible if the client wants/needs me to. But I never said I was a pro at it all. But I will never turn down an opportunity either. I choose to focus on my “secret sauce” by focusing on my strongest talents, which is what I like to do most out of all the services I offer and get assistance from others to take care of the rest.

If you try to be a Jane (or Jack) of all trades but you’re only skilled partially you’re actually only hurting yourself, or your clients because it will take you twice as long as someone who has the proper skills and it won’t be as polished as it needs to be. You don’t need to be a pro at it all and if you try, you’re just holding yourself back so try discarding some of those crazy hats.

CHALLENGE: Ask yourself the following questions then TAKE ACTION.

What am I skilled at doing?
What are my natural abilities?
What do I enjoy and not enjoy doing?
Can I hand off the less enjoyed tasks to someone more qualified?
What do I acquire that’s unique and will it lead to success?

Ask for What You Want.

It’s time to take control and ask for what you want (and need) because the world respond to those who ask. Not sure where to start to get what you’re looking for … check out this article that breaks the method of asking into some really great steps.

Create Your Dream Team.

To some, working remotely and running a remote team seem like “black magic”. Time is money. There are only 24 hours a day and it’s just not humanly possible to work 24 hours in one day, but if you reach out and use the help offered by trained professionals and Virtual Assistants (VAs), you may feel like you’re accomplishing that that much but in less time. The job of your “dream team” is to boost productivity so that you can continue to do what they do best while your dream team takes care of the rest.

Interested in knowing more about working with a virtual team or looking to a hire a VA but not sure where to start?
Check out my tried, tested and true Ultimate Guide to Working Virtually.

Hack Predictability.

I knew for most of my life that I wanted to start a company that was beyond the part-time after 9-5 hours, but it was difficult to walk away from that reliable paycheck. It was a hard decision and took me longer to get to where I am today than I would have liked because it was easy to see how easily one could fail. I was stuck in a 9-5 safety net. But that was not the business mindset that was going to help me succeed. So I compared both paths and in the end I came to the conclusion that there was no right or wrong approach – I just needed to follow the one that felt right to me.

What I’m getting at here when I talk about hacking predictability is that we have to take time to figure out for ourselves what will shift our mindset in order to take that god forsaken scary as hell leap. We have to become comfortable with the uncomfortable and learn to grow from there.

#DoSomethingBold and … #BuildSuccessMindset

Hack Productivity.

Something I see frequently in my line of business is that people do not finish their day feeling accomplished, so they end up judging themselves, myself included from time-to-time. The pressure is on to be as productive as possible to get where we want to go. Often, we are our own worst critic and think that calling out our laziness or inefficiencies can lead to some sort of mindset-adjustment to get around the roadblocks to our success. First off … give yourself a break! If you want to increase your productivity, you must make the decision to do so, stop being harsh to your self-esteem and start implementing new ways (and tools) to improve your productivity. This will not only reduce time clutter (and those nasty stress wrinkles) but you won’t believe how much you will be able to accomplish all the while increasing your businesses revenue.

Stop Asking for Permission.

Simple. Short. Sweet. You DO NOT need permission to be an entrepreneur. We are not born with the fear of failing but we are however taught to be embarrassed of it. Be passionate about your business and don’t limit yourself. And just plainly stop asking for permission. #JustDoYou

Be a Painkiller in a World of Vitamins.

Being an entrepreneur is all about problem-solving. If there are no problems, there is no business. So, take time to properly define the problems of your audience and clients clearly. Don’t just jump right on in all willy-nilly. Truly take time to understand then challenge things from all angles all the while being aware that there is usually only one true painkiller.

In short, identify said problem, consider all the options then choose the best solution.

Do not be a vitamin, be a #Painkiller

Hack the Gap.

You’re probably wondering what I mean by “the gap”. The gap is what stands between your goals and the horizon. And learning to adjust this gap is what will cause your hugest mindset shift.

It’s not just about setting calendar goals then setting loftier ones when the others have been accomplished and smooth sailing on the Pacific. Take time to commend yourself for a job well done before hopping onto that next ship. Take time to contemplate how far you’ve come and the failures you’ve learned from. There will always be something new so take some well-deserved time to feel tall and proud of what you have already achieved!

Recognizing your own progress is a huge part of feeling motivated to do more. Your brain is a great tool for your success. It is hard at work and automating new things you are doing even when you are taking a break. ~ Prince Akwarandu

To end things off for today, just remember that it’s all about mindset and creating habits for a flawless routine.

The more comfortable you become with this mindset; continuous growth is literally just around the corner. And, you will always be pushing yourself one step closer to your next goal, one step closer to overcoming yet another fear, one step closer to being (at the very least) one percent better than you were the day before …. And the day before that!

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Crystal Kordalchuk

Crystal is an artist, a writer, an organizer, a dreamer, a doer, and down-right proud of it NERD!.

Struck with a love for #AllThings creative at a very young age, Crystal dreamed of a life fueled by her passion for creating and bringing the stories and images in her mind into reality.

As she worked toward her dreams, she earned a diploma as a Computer Applications Specialist then another in Graphic Design and from there began to develop her extensive background in multimedia and the arts. She began her worked in the magazine industry as a layout designer and had a succession of design jobs thereafter. It was her role as a graphic/web designer that gave her the first real glimpse of her future. Soon she began a side job as a freelance designer while keeping one foot in the corporate world. A spark was lit! She turned her freelance gig into a full-time business combining design work with her other passion: creating organization from virtual chaos.

Crystal is one of the most organized individuals on the planet. She is by all means a Zen master of her crafts. She excels at helping others become “untangled” and provides her clients with tools to run their businesses smoothly while she takes care of the details behind the scenes. Thus Virtually Untangled was born. A successful business where her work as a top notch creative in graphic and web — with a twist of virtual assistant — married into one amazing place where clients can come with their virtual messes and become magically untangled. Crystal can always make sense of even the most unorganized chaos and offers a virtual detox of order and peace, so her clients can get busy doing the work that they love the most.

The Ultimate List of Entrepreneurial Hacks …!

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Crystal Kordalchuk

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