Latest / It's Time for Success: The Business Insights Podcast / Janet Sawatzky on Building a Business That Doesn’t Break Without You

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Janet Sawatzky on Building a Business That Doesn’t Break Without You · It's Time for Success: The Business Insights Podcast

• Sharon: [00:00:05] Welcome to It's Time for Success, the Business Insights podcast. I'm your host, Sharon De Koning. Does the thought of taking a holiday from your business cause you stress? Or maybe you're like, I was in work so freaking hard the week before? I think we've all done that. When you're an entrepreneur, you work so hard before you take that week off and then you get back and you have to work so hard to play catch-up. So maybe you're like most of us and do that same thing. Today, our guest is Janet Sawatzky, founder of 7 Point Trends. Janet is a powerhouse consultant who helps business owners who have created success through sheer grit and hustle in enabling them to have the time to do the things they want to. Whether that be a holiday and not kill yourself before you leave and come back. Welcome, Janet. Janet: [00:00:47] Thank you so much for having me. Sharon: [00:00:49] Can you tell our audience a bit about yourself, Janet? What do you do and why do you do it? Janet: [00:00:53] Hi. It's really nice to be here. Thank you for having me, Sharon. I like to help business owners organize their business using structure and strategy to get the results that they're looking for. So I basically help business owners set goals and achieve them, and I do that by helping them make decisions and delegating and really working towards that vision that they have in their head, but they're not always able to execute. So I really pull that vision out of their head and get it into a form where they can really communicate it to themselves about where they're going with their company and how they're going to get there. And so, we often start with the vision and identify the gaps and also look at the support systems that they need. And that's people and systems. And then we put it all into a plan so they can easily execute it step by step. So basically, I help business owners with the planning and the action-taking that they need to get where they want to go. Sharon: [00:01:53] I think as business owners, when we start, and I know you mentioned that before, like almost accidental success, which happens, it happens, but you don't even think of the vision at the time. You're just literally in the trenches, as I call it, and you're working. So why is it so important if you have a business, why do you need that vision? And why do you need that goal? Tell me, tell me a bit about that. Janet: [00:02:12] Sure. Well, what happens is that entrepreneurs, you know, they've got their head down and they're working hard and they're, they're watching their numbers, which is excellent. And pretty soon, you know, five, ten years goes by and they're like, I am tired. I am not seeing my family and friends. I'm not really living the life that I thought that I would be living, even though I'm being successful in my business, I'm not really living the life that I want to live. And so it's important for you to look up and step out of your business for a moment and just look at where you are, where have you, you know, where did you start? And be proud of the progress that you've made. And sometimes it's okay for you to ask someone to step in with fresh eyes and someone who's not in it day to day to help you look strategically at your business and really look at what's working and what's not working, and talk about where you really want to go. Because once you're in it, it's easier just to stay in the day to day in your happy rut that you've created for yourself. And that's great. But sometimes it's hard to get out of that rut without somebody else's help to help you see, like there are other options and there's other possibilities out there, and there are other strategies. And there is a structure that you probably thought about when you first started, like your values, your vision, and your mission. You probably did some of that work at the beginning, but have you revisited that? Are you really on track towards your vision? So it changes, it changes throughout time and you know, the world changes and we have to look up sometimes and step out of our business. And that's what I help business owners do. Sharon: [00:03:56] Nice. I have a quick story and a little bit... Sometimes you... It's almost forced upon you to step out and look up. So back in the day, I remember, because I'm in Alberta, but I'm a Manitoba girl originally. So my family's out there and I remember my mom phoning me on my cell phone and she told me that she's got lung cancer. And I remember thinking, how can I go out and spend time with my mom after she has her surgery? But I reached out to somebody to help me with my systems, my… all this kind of stuff. I had about three months to get my ducks in order, but anyway, so I was able to stay with her. But without that systems and stuff in place, I couldn't have went. Janet: [00:04:32] Exactly. Sharon: [00:04:32] So sometimes it's a forced on you. So think now and so you're able to do that without the stress. Janet: [00:04:38] Yes, exactly. I really do help business owners be able to step out or step back from their business when they need to. It's preparing for things that might come your way. It could be a positive thing, like going on vacation and, you know, hopefully you can go on vacation and put your phone down and spend time with your family and not look at your email because that's how you want to create your systems and your people to support you on your team so that you can go, let's say drop of a hat, somebody gets sick, you want to be able to go and help them. And are you able to do that? Can you step out of your business when you want to or when you need to? That's a good question that every entrepreneur should ask themselves. Sharon: [00:05:20] Yes. And I think that's really what I'm hoping to focus this whole session on today is that scenario. Not, like I say, not negative, but it can happen. Or even yourself. I was I remember working for a law firm and my boss who say, Sharon, what happens if you got hit by a bus and I'm like, what? Yeah, but it's true. What happens if your business still, people are relying on you, you’vr got staff, you've got community, you’vr got customers relying on you. So how does that keep going without you? Okay, so let's talk about that. Sometimes we get stuck in our heads as business owners. It has to be us. We have to be that. And sometimes we can't sleep because our brains don't turn off. And that's a normal thing. So tell us how we can fix that. That probably is the first step. What's the first way of getting to where we want to be so we can take time off? What's our first step for you? Janet: [00:06:06] Well, I think it would depend on the situation, but let's just say that, you know, if you are so stressed out that you can't sleep, you definitely need to get off that road, that path. Like just get off it because that's not good for your health and it's not good for your company. It's not good for your team. It's not good for anybody. So. Sharon: [00:06:24] Mhm. Okay, you say that, but it's really hard to do. Janet: [00:06:26] It's really hard to do. I think you need to put yourself first. So look at how you're living your life and is that a healthy way to go? So you need to think about where do you get your energy the most is that by working out? Is that by meditating? Is that by taking a walk? Is it by spending time with friends and family? Is it taking your dog for a walk? Is it… What really brings you energy? So I would really start with that. For myself, I do yoga and meditation and I also walk my dog. I find those things really, really help set my day in the right direction. First thing in the morning and at noon, I like to go for a walk with my dog and it just, it really helps me clear my mind. Oftentimes I get the best ideas when I step away from my desk. So keep that in mind. So keep your energy in mind, first and foremost. Then I would like to say that, you know, your mindset, health of your, what you're telling yourself every day. Like get rid of those negative thoughts. And you aren't your thoughts, you are your actions. So make sure that you are not thinking negatively about yourself or other people or the world. And if you have a lot of negative things coming at you, you have to put a stop to those. So your mindset is very important. And I guess my whole point with the energy and the mindset is that you must protect the asset. You are the asset and your health is key to your life and also your business because people are relying on you, like you said, your customers, but your family is as well. Janet: [00:08:00] So make sure that you put your health first. And then, so energy, mindset, and strategy. So make sure that you are being strategic because you need to be looking at the whole picture, the whole truth of what's going on and thinking about the long term. If you want to have a sustainable yourself, you want to be there for the long term and you want your company to be there for a long term, you really need to be making strategic decisions. And so if you're having trouble with that, like stress can definitely interfere with your strategic decision-making capability. So you need to find ways to reduce that stress and to sleep because sleep is really key to regulating emotions, and it helps us reset our hormones and helps us be in a better mood and all of those things together. Sleep is actually the key to living a positive life in my mind, and it's not always easy. I really empathize with people that are so stressed out that they can't sleep. I've been in that place, and it's really important to recognize that if you need help, you need to ask for it. And it's okay. Like we're all humans and we all have stress. And it's how you respond to the stress that's really important. And really put yourself first, because how can you take care of your family or your business if you are not healthy? Sharon: [00:09:25] Yeah. Okay. So mindset, I get that. Take a walk, do something like or actually energy. Let's do that one first. That was your first energy. So take your walk, find your thing that gives you relief. And you're right, sometimes that's when your BFO goes, we call it blinding flash of the obvious, comes to you is when you're in those… in that energy state mindset. You talked about positive mindset. You cannot do it alone. You have to surround yourself with the right people. And that's I think that's hugely important. If you have negative constant, you have to get… Janet: [00:09:55] Yeah. And not just people, but I'm like talking about all the inputs that we have coming at us, the news, the media, everything. Like you gotta really manage that because it has a, it takes a toll on how we feel about ourselves and other people. So I would, I would… yeah, energy and mindset and strategy. Sharon: [00:10:14] Absolutely. And then the strategy, like sometimes it's not even like so much… like it is stress, don't get me wrong, but a little trick that I've learned and actually one of my workers told me about it. Sometimes when she would go home, she would she takes her work home with her. Now I’ve got a good employee. She does that. But what she found, if she was just to make a note of everything that she's got to do tomorrow, or make a note of things that you’ve got to do, like write it on a piece of paper, like I'm literally making notes when you're talking, that'll get it out of your head as well. So you might be able to sleep better. So find a way of clearing your head, whether that be meditation, writing it down, or whatever you're talking about there. I think those are all things that would help you sleep, which is what you just said, is very important. Janet: [00:10:56] Absolutely. If you can, um, write things down or some people are not a pen and paper kind of people, you could, you can put it on your computer or your phone, whatever. But I find voice dictation works really well for me. Like, you know, you just put on your recorder, you just talk about all the things that are, you know, bothering you or all the things you have to do and blah, blah, blah. And then once you get it out, you just turn it off and it's like, wow, boy, do I ever feel better? Sharon: [00:11:23] That's a, that's a little… It works. Janet: [00:11:25] It does. And also, like for some people, like talking to a friend, just someone to listen. They don't have to solve your problems or anything, but sometimes just calling a friend or, you know, a business bestie or whatever you happen to have. Your mom, your family, your sister, brother, but someone that you can talk to and just unload once in a while. It's amazing the power of conversation and helping relieve the stress that's going on in your… Sharon: [00:11:52] So I would say because I have, I'm part of BNI Edge here in Lloydminster. And so it's a business group of people. So I've got to know these people in depth and sometimes I can just phone them. Hey, you want to go for a drink? Because I, you know, I’ve just got to vent, you know what I mean? And that's all it is, is just letting it out. But it's a different conversation from my friend down the road. There are two different conversations. And also being a female, it's a different conversation than I give to my husband because my husband wants to fix it and all he does is annoy me. So I can't even, you know what I mean? Like I'm not… I don't need fixing. I just need to get it out of my head, you know, like it's… anyways. Okay, let's talk about automation. What are some easy… If you're a tech shy, what are some simple ways… you talked about the voice recording. Is there anything else that we could utilize for automation to make our lives easier? Janet: [00:12:35] Well, there's tons of things out there. All you have to do is search for things. You know, I use ChatGPT. It really saves a lot of time if I need to do something quickly. Like I don't use it for, like, making decisions for me, but I do like to use it for, you know, I have some ideas about marketing. You know, take this to the next level for me. And then, you know, I don't always take exactly what it says. I'll, it gives me ideas to think about things in a different way, a different perspective or something, and then I'll make it my own. So I think that's important. But there's tons of things out there to automate. I would, I would ask a virtual assistant because they are really good at looking where you're at and recommending the best system for you. I think that virtual assistants are the ones who can really get into your systems and figure out ways to be more effective and efficient, and I would highly recommend a virtual assistant as your first hire, because they can really unburden the entrepreneur who's trying to do everything themselves with a lot of things that are taking up a lot of mental capacity for the business owner, and they can just make everything so much easier. Janet: [00:13:50] So yeah, I would definitely talk to a virtual assistant. And then I would recommend you also look at hiring a business manager. There's online business managers or they're just called business managers, but they can really streamline your systems as well and take over some of that project management of the company to move it forward. Once you have a strategic plan in place, they can help you implement that. So I actually think that getting the right people in place to help you with what you need, like specifically, is the best way to go because it depends what your business is doing. Is it a product or a service or are you doing both? Or where are you trying to go? Like, are you trying to increase your bottom line? Or do you need to serve your customers better? Or like… you have to really look at what the problem is that you're trying to solve and then bring on people with that expertise to help you automate. Or maybe automation isn't the answer. Like maybe that's not actually what you need to do. So you kind of have to look at the whole of your business and really think about strategically, what's your best investment? Sharon: [00:15:00] So that's something, so somebody really doesn't know they're feeling stuck. That's where you would come in and help them. You would… Is that something that you could work with them on? Janet: [00:15:07] Yes, absolutely. So if they don't know what, like where they're trying to go, if they kind of have a vision, but they have no plan and they have no goals and no targets, and they don't know really where they're going, they don't know who to hire. They don't know how they're worried about making the wrong decision. Then I will come in and help them with that process. And then once we have a plan in place, I can actually help them implement the plan so that I can get them set up to hire some people and get them up and running with some processes and some systems. And then I will step out as the consultant and they will continue to help grow the company. I like to come in with a lot of tools and possibilities and that strategic foresight, and then help them set up with a plan and get implementing. And then I will step out when the time is right. Sharon: [00:16:00] Let's talk about systems then. Systems are our friend. Systems… I couldn't have went out to stay with my mom without systems. I couldn't have grown… we have three locations now. Without systems, we actually now have somebody hired and that's her baby. That's hers. She's in charge of all the systems and all the training and all that kind of stuff. So we actually have one person delegated for that now because we know that it's important, and we can't grow without it. So let's talk a little bit about that. Maybe some, I don't know, what are the first systems they should be implemented or what have you seen in the past that's really helped somebody? Janet: [00:16:30] Well, systems are the key to your business. So Mike Michalowicz has written an amazing book called The Pumpkin Plan. And if you haven't read it yet, I would highly recommend it. And what he says is that you need to figure out first, what are you really good at and what do you love to do? And do that. And then find out, you know, assess your clients, like who do you really want to work with and what makes them the top? And just work with them. Don't try to do everything for everybody. Just be really clear about, we deliver this service and we're going to work with these people and really niche down and just be very focused on that. And then the other piece of the puzzle is systems. So there's, you know, know who you are and do what you love to do and be really great at it. And then, you know, make sure you're working with the right people, as in clients and customers, and you're serving them to the best of your ability. And then systems is the other key piece that people forget. And so systems are basically just procedures like, how do I do this when we take on a client? How does that process work? I talk to them, I bring them on, they fill out these forms, we sign the contract, we, you know, get paid, we start the work. And then what does the follow up look like? So you have to lay out all of these processes from A to Z, so that someone can just come into your company and go, well, how do we onboard a client? Oh, here it is. Right. And now with technology, I have to say, it's so easy. Janet: [00:18:06] All you have to do is like record a video on your phone and have a video library of all the things that you do. So every time you do something in your company, just take a video of yourself, this is what I do and talk it through, and while you're doing it. And then you can just give it to somebody and then they can improve it. And, that's actually a tip from Mike Michalowicz as well, who I highly recommend reading his books. But with video, you have everything or it makes it so easy to document your procedures. So it's basically like onboarding a client, offboarding a client, you know, whatever it is that you're doing, this is how we, you know, make our product. This is how we package it, this is how we invoice for it. Like whatever it is, all of the things that you have to do to make money in your business, you know, how do you hire an employee? What's the procedure? How do you post? How do you put a job description on LinkedIn? Who does that? You know, who's going to do the interview process and what are the interview questions and all of those things. I mean, there's… I'm going on and on about all the details, but there's so many things that go on in a business and all you have to do is hit record on your phone. And when you're doing it, just document it. And I, that's just one quick way. I mean, of course, you know, you want to get more detailed and maybe you want to actually have a procedure manual for your business. But video is a nice way to get started with that. Sharon: [00:19:35] We do videos and we upload them into our Drive because we use Google like Google Suites. So we upload them to the Drive. But even simple things like, because some of it's on the internet, right? So we do, we record our screen when we're doing something for our video sometimes, if that's the case, you can actually record your screen at the same time. One thing I do find because we have so many videos is they get lost. Like you have to file them. Janet: [00:19:59] They have to be named correctly and filed and updated because things change. And so, you know, but it doesn't always have to be the business owner doing this. Whoever, you know, anybody can hit record on their phone and go, actually, this is the better way to do it. And here it is, right? Or, you know, make improvements. It's, you know, procedures and processes and systems are not finite. They will evolve over time and things change. Like it's not like payroll will be the same in two years from now. Even a year, it's going to be different. So, you know, you have to kind of go with the flow and make it easy. Sharon: [00:20:36] Yeah, yeah, technology is changing. We actually just subscribed to a program, Humi, well we had it for a year now, but now it's updated to something else. And in there actually, so what we can do is do our videos and then it gets sent to all the employees and they have to watch it and we can see if they've watched it or not. So it's literally, here's your homework for the day. If we've made a change into our system or something, everybody gets it. They have to watch it. And then they get a checkmark. Janet: [00:21:02] Exactly. Because you know, procedures are great, but are people following them? Sharon: [00:21:07] Yeah, yeah. Okay. So that's easy win. What other things can we talk about here? I have lots of… we talked about systemizing the human stuff. So we talked about or some of the things I wrote down, sorry, I didn't talk about, but you did mention a little bit is the onboarding. So the training videos, the setup, so all that kind of stuff. What about scheduling? Like you can probably systemize something from your schedules. I'm trying to make a list of things that people put their brains on fire. How else can they… What are areas of their work can they systemize? So I had like like maybe invoicing and payroll, like we use QuickBooks online and they sends out like reminder emails automatically if they didn't pay their bill. But what other ways can be systemized that we can help our… Janet: [00:21:51] Well, their calendar, for sure. Sharon: [00:21:53] I have an issue with my calendar and it's definitely operator. So I have Google Calendar. Is there a way that I can tell it to remind me that I should check it? Like honest to goodness, I miss meetings regularly because I have so many meetings. So like I need it to tell me like, hello, you got a meeting right now, like or ten minutes, but I'm not always at my computer. Janet: [00:22:13] In every meeting, you can set up reminders to notify you like an hour ahead, half an hour ahead, ten minutes ahead. So in your calendar meeting notice you set that up, but you could also set use your Tasks. And I use my Tasks in Google to set up all the tasks that I need to do and when I need to do it so that it pops up and go, you need to do this today. You need to, you know, pay this bill, you need to talk to this person. You have to, you know, follow up with this client, like whatever it is, you can put it in there and it will remind you. And you can set it really specifically like the time of the day, you know, and it pops up on your phone or on your desktop, whatever you're at so that you don't miss anything. But there's other programs out there too that can help you, I'm sure, but that's something that, you know, a virtual assistant can help you with. Sharon: [00:23:03] Yeah, I think that's where I am. Janet: [00:23:05] I'm more of a big picture, like what are, where are you trying to be in ten years? And like, here's the strategy to get there. Sharon: [00:23:12] Nice. What would the plan typically look like? So say if I come to you right now we meet and from there, what's… what does a plan typically look like? I know it probably changed for different industries, but give me a rough outline of what you would be focusing on. Janet: [00:23:25] Yeah, absolutely. So we would talk about your values and we would declare what those values are, because that really is who you are and who your company is. And so your values actually help you decide who you want to work with, as in clients and customers, and also helps you decide who to hire. You should always hire based on like values. It'll save you a lot of time and money down the road if you share the same values. And if you don't, don't work with them as a customer, client, or an employee. Just save yourself a lot of trouble. So we always start. You know, we do the values. And we also talk extensively about their vision. Where do they really want to go? And one of the things that I find Sharon, as we go through is they think they want something and then they come back like they have some time to think about it and they come back and it's like, actually, that's not even what I want. That's somebody else's dream. This is really what I want. And then that's really exciting when they really have time to step out of their business and figure out what they really want. So the vision is really, really important. And then of course, their mission, like, why are they in business in the first place? What are they trying to do? What problem are they there to solve for people? We lay that out so that that's really clear for them. Janet: [00:24:38] And then we talk about their strategic priorities. So what is it that they need to do? What are like between 3 to 7 things? What are the areas of focus that they need to take action around to move their business forward? So we'll have the strategic priorities. And then, of course, we always will have to talk about the support systems that they need. And that will include the people, the systems, the technology that they need to invest in if they really want to grow their business. So if… we'd also look at the risks and the gaps and the things that might be impacting them. But typically I'll do like the vision, the gaps, the support, and then the plan, and then we put that all together in an easy to follow, step by step plan where they can take action, and then I can help them with some of the implementation if they if they need some support in that area, because typically if a business wants to grow, you need to hire. Sharon: [00:25:35] Yeah. You do. Janet: [00:25:35] You're not going to be able to have a... I mean, it depends what you're looking for. It depends what you want to build. But if you want to take vacation and you want to step out of your business when you need to, or maybe you want to start another business, or you want to do something else and you want this other one to support you revenue-wise to do something different, then you need to get your ducks in a row. So that's what I help people do. I really help them organize their business so that they can live the life that they want to live. Sharon: [00:26:03] Get their ducks in a row. Okay, so you talked about prioritize 3 to 7 things. Is there an area that they really like, is very common that you see that you need to prioritize certain things that they need to focus on? Janet: [00:26:14] Well, it depends what they want to do, but typically people need to hire. So hiring, whether you hire somebody for five hours a month or it's, you know, five hours a week or whatever it is, typically people need to hire a virtual assistant. And there's a lot out there. There's a lot of options and there's a lot of talent and they're very affordable. If you don't have somebody helping you, like with your email and your scheduling and your processes and your paperwork and all that, get yourself a virtual assistant. And then I always recommend getting a business manager, whether it's an online manager that can help you with your project management. And don't be afraid to hire people who are project managers. Sometimes, depending on the business, the business owner is just overrun with managing projects. You can actually get people to manage your projects so that you can kind of rise above to see the company as a whole and be the leader that you need to be to make more strategic decisions and look at the strategic functioning of the company and not be caught up in the weeds all the time. Janet: [00:27:29] Make sure you… like, project managers are fantastic and you have to learn how to let go. So if you think, oh, I'm the only one who can do all this, that's not true, for one. There are other people that can do it and they can probably do it better than you. So just get rid of that “I have to do everything” mentality because that's not serving anyone. Be the leader that you know you can be and that you need to be to lead your company, lead yourself, lead your company because that is a different skill set than, you know, just crunching the numbers and doing your own books. Like, why are you doing that? Is that really what you love to do? If you love doing that, that's fine. Hire an accountant, for goodness sakes. And they can also help you with strategy as well on your financials. So, you know, definitely think about what you love to do and do those things and delegate everything else as you can afford to do. Sharon: [00:28:26] I really like, because you talked earlier about the values, the vision, the mission, and then you went to prioritize and the prioritized part had me like what? There's probably a simple things that I see consistently, but I think when you go over your values, your visions, and your missions, that's when they're prioritizing actually comes in, right? Because then you can analyze that and those things. Janet: [00:28:46] Exactly. If you're not clear about where you're going, what you're doing, and with whom and why, and you don't have your values, how are you… How are you leading? Like, how do you lead without a plan? It's very hard. Sharon: [00:28:59] And sometimes you have values you don't even know you have them. Like I don't think I had, I did. Honestly, I've been doing this for 19 years… more, actually. But anyways, here in Alberta, 19 years. And I never had a culture statement. In fact, because we use, started using EOS, the entrepreneurial operating system. And in there is one of the steps and I think when I talked to you, you kind of do these steps kind of similar to that. And it wasn't me that came up with them, the core values, it was my LET team. But it's something that they've been working with me forever and they've kind of it took us a while to get to it, but we found it and it was because without me even knowing these values and these not so much the mission because I just work all the time. I don't know what my mission is yet, but those… changes also in my mind… but those things I portray through who I hire, how I treat people, how I treat my team and how I treat my customers. So those things will portray, but it's really nice to have them laid out and visual for everybody. And even when you're hiring, they know that that's what's happening. Janet: [00:29:59] Exactly. It saves a lot of time because your values are there, as you mentioned, like they're there whether you know it or not. And so if you're upfront about it, then everybody's on the same page. And they can decide, you know what? I like this company, I need the job. But you know, I'm not really aligned on some of these things so it's not going to work for me. And that's fine. That's just, that's just… be honest about that. And we want people to come into the company to help move it forward and to do what we need it to do. And if they're not aligned on values, it's not going to work. Sharon: [00:30:33] It's not going to work. And I always think it's vice versa, it's vice versa. So life is short and you’ve got to be happy. I was telling my team, you're here for a minimum of eight hours a day. You should be happy for eight hours a day. Like you should enjoy doing what you're doing. And if you're not, if this is not the place that you're enjoying life, then you need to find someplace else that can make you happy. Because life is short. Janet: [00:30:53] That’s right. It's a two-way street. It has to be good for the company, and it has to be good for the person. Absolutely. Sharon: [00:30:59] Okay. Is there anything else that we're missing in this whole thing that you do with your clients on a daily basis that you want to touch and explain to our listeners that can help them? Janet: [00:31:07] I think we've covered quite a lot. I think that a lot of people just keep their head down and keep working and hoping that everything is going to be okay. And that's fine up until a point where you're not happy and you realize that, mm, I'm kind of wasting my life away here and I'm not really doing the things that I want to do. So don't be afraid to put your hand up and say, you know what? I could use some strategic help. I don't really know what step to take. I don't really know, you know, I don't know what questions to ask. I don't know what decisions to make. I'm feeling a little bit lost in that area. And so that's where I can come in and look at your company from a different perspective and maybe bring to light some things that you can't see because you're so in it. So this happens like with all of us, we have blind spots we can't always see all of the possibilities. And so if you do feel like you want to make some changes and you're not sure how and what changes to make, that's where I come in and can help you. You know, I have to say that I provide, in the big companies, they would have a strategic services department. So that's the kind of skill set that I provide. I also have a lot of leadership skills so I can help you lead yourself and lead your company. So those two areas of expertise is where I can really help business owners the most. Sharon: [00:32:38] Just listening to you talk right now, it just kind of made me think too, sometimes when you start a business, you are the business. You're literally bought yourself a job, right? That's all you're doing. You bought yourself a job. I've been there, done that. But meeting with somebody like yourself, you are going to create a business that is sellable. You're going to create a successful business. Now success means different to everybody else. My success will be totally different from somebody else's success how you view it, but you will create that successful business. When they meet with somebody like you instead of creating a job. Janet: [00:33:13] That’s right. Exactly. If you want to go from a job to a business that's growing in the way that you want, then come and talk to me. I can help you with that. Sharon: [00:33:21] Even myself, to meet with somebody like yourself. Like I had a business coach years ago, and one of my goals was to pay my team above average industry rates, that was one of my goals. So you’ve got to think about what is one of your goals when they go to meet with you, but you can help them think about that. Like you're literally going to be pulled when they sit down and meet with you. Their brains are going to go different ways that you've never even thought. Janet: [00:33:48] Exactly. I will take them out of their business and where they can think clearly, and we will go through a process where they might come to realize things that they never thought about, because they never took the time to get away from it all and kind of just think about it. And they didn't have somebody to talk to. Sometimes we don't have people to talk to, you know, we don't want to talk to our spouse about these things. We don't want to raise our hand in these networking groups saying, you know, I really need help in my business because we always want to, you know… you know, image is everything. And, you know, perception is, is the truth. And we want to present ourselves in the best possible light. So we don't always want to share all of the things that are going on publicly. So I can help people really talk about what's going on in their business confidentially, one on one. And that's the support that I can provide them to really take their business to the next level. Sharon: [00:34:46] I just hope everybody phones you and signs up because I think it's vitally important. It's… for sleep, like we talked about, there's so many good things you can grow in your community. You can help more people. You can build your community because you're hiring more people. Like there's just so many good things. Yeah. So I really hope that people do reach out to you and we'll go into that actually, let's do that right now. How can our listeners find you? Tell us all your details. Janet: [00:35:08] You can call me (587) 576-2755. I'm happy to have a conversation with you. You can book a call with me. It's Calendly.com/7Pointtrends and you can find me on my website www.7pointtrends.com. And you can also email us at hello@7pointtrends.com. Sharon: [00:35:30] Perfect. All that stuff will be in the script below the podcast as well. And one thing just for listeners, in case they're taking notes, the seven is not written out. It's a number 7. Janet: [00:35:41] Thank you for clarifying. Yeah, just like it is on the screen here at 7 Point Trends with the number 7. Sharon: [00:35:46] Yeah. Perfect. Okay. We did talk about a book and that's one of my questions I'd like to ask people. So everybody that's an entrepreneur out there, what's your suggestion for a book? And you already told me the Pumpkin Plan, but I did not catch that. Janet: [00:35:58] That's a good one. The Pumpkin Plan by Mike Michalowicz. Yeah, he's an entrepreneur and he's written many books and I love all of them. He's excellent. And another one if it's okay for me to share. This is one of my favourites. It's called Essentialism by Greg McKeown. I find that is just a wonderful book. Also, if I can say another one… I love reading business books. I love reading all books. But the E-myth by Michael Gerber is fantastic. I would follow that to the letter. In fact, I know entrepreneurs who have implemented what Michael Gerber has said in E-myth, particularly around systems, and they have done very well. Sharon: [00:36:39] Yeah, I strongly suggest reading that book, reaching out to you, and you guys will be in aligned and making leaps and strides together. So yes, it's a good combination. Okay. Well, I really appreciate you joining us. I know it's busy and it's early, but it's great. I really appreciate you taking the time and meeting with me and my listeners. For our listeners, please feel free to reach out to Janet on all those ways that she listed for you to reach out to her. As you can tell, she is a wealth of knowledge. And as we discovered, stopping the loop of indecision is the first step to success because we talked about the sleep and how important it is for energy and mindset. So reach out to her. She can help you with all that kind of stuff and help you with your systems, your vision, mission, all those kind of things. Also, we ask that you subscribe, leave a review, and share our podcast. And if you have an area of expertise or real life learning that could help our listeners, I would love to hear from you. Kindly reach out to me personally at Sharon@itpromo.ca. Thanks everybody. Janet: [00:37:32] Thank you for having me, Sharon.