entrepreneurs

Woke you up with that one, didn’t I? Yoda, arguably my favorite character in the Star Wars franchise, says this. “Do or do not. There is no try.” So I challenge you today to stop trying all together and START DOING. The word “try” has long been a weak way to say, “I see what I should do and I’m going to make a half-hearted effort to do it.”

I will try to work out 3-4 days a week.
I will try to read that book.
I will try this process a new way.
I will try to increase my revenue.

This morning, on my What Works Coaching Facebook page, I posed a question via a make-up free video (that’s right, I shoot my videos without or filters, including a Cover Girl lense). What is your dream? When you get down to it, when you wake up in the morning, what do you wish you were waking up to?

TimeHop is a great little app I use when I need a little reminder about how far I have come. This app takes you back as many as five years in your social media posts. For me, it illustrates one simple point of life. The only thing that is certain is change.

The new year, 2015, started off with a bang, for me. Well, more like a slip, fall, and crash to the pavement. Not paying attention to my footing as I was walking out my front door, I slipped on ice and fell. My foot went under itself and resulted in a nasty sprain. What happened thereafter taught me lessons that will last a lifetime.

The New Year is all about resolutions for some people. Lose weight. Find love. Make more money. But here’s one we could all use, dry up the pity puddle. Stuff happens in life. It’s how you deal with it that determines if it’s going to be easy or a constant uphill battle. There’s only one way to make it easy, to take responsibility for your own thoughts, emotions, and actions.

Christmas brings out the child in all of us. Unfortunately, sometimes, Christmas REALLY brings out the child in us. We see family we haven’t seen since we were children. We get presents. We eat until our bellies almost burst. And, true to form for the holiday season, at least one person will speak their mind.

The business branch of the Carson City Library, currently housed at the Business Resource Innovation Center (the “BRIC”), will be relocating back to the main branch in January 2015. The BRIC Carson City library resources will close on Jan. 9 at 5 p.m. and are scheduled to reopen in the main library Jan. 26.

“With the new technology assets at the main branch, it makes sense to bring the BRIC resources back to the main branch,” said Sena Loyd, Carson City Library director.

A NxLevel for Entrepreneurs business planning course begins next month in Carson City and ends in April, officials announced Monday.

Michael Salogga, Carson City business development manager and the instructor, and Kathy Carrico, Nevada SBDC training director, made the announcement and said the program provides people who want to start or grow a business the tools to proceed. The SBDC designation from America’s SBDC Nevada office in Reno stands for Small Business Development Centers.

You have heard the phrase, “don’t judge a book by its cover.” I’d like to submit another phrase for you to consider, “don’t act without the facts.” You have heard me talk about the monkey mind, the witches in the attic, and other names for the nagging that goes on in your head. Now, I want to talk about something else, your inner cliff jumper.

Remember when you were a kid and your parents played “peek-a-boo” with you? The reason why it was so much fun is quite interesting. You see, to a child, the face ceases to exist when it’s not seen. This concept is called object permanence.

Kids, developmentally, can’t grasp the concept that even though the face is out of view, it is still there. Unfortunately, we can’t play “peek-a-boo” with people, problems, and uncomfortable situations that enter our lives. Even if we walk away or cover it up, it’s still there until we face it.

This weekend, I was blessed to have someone be wonderfully, brutally but, at the same time, respectfully honest with me. At first, pure honesty can be jarring. It’s almost like we have been trained to expect a candy-coated version of the truth or no honesty at all. I was reminded of what a gift communication is and how, when it doesn’t take place, resentment, negative self-talk, and assumption can build up like a bad round of Tetris.

The holiday season officially kicks off this Thursday. Thanksgiving is about so much more than turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and all the other trimmings. It’s about what trims your life. We spend this holiday around those who matter the most, those who deck our lives with joy, happiness, peace, understanding, and kindness. However, some holidays aren’t as carefree. Here’s how to give yourself a break and muster gratefulness for a few portions of the holiday that might not be so merry.

Have a business idea? Learn ways to move your idea from concept to reality at IdeaSpark! a free workshop Wednesday, Nov. 19, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Adams Hub for Innovation in Carson City.

IdeaSpark! helps potential entrepreneurs develop their big idea, opportunity, invention or start-up vision and then teaches how to take that idea to the next level of turning it into a successful business.

The workshop is interactive and fast-paced. Attendees will learn how to be scrappy and utilize lean business model principles.

Yikes Diane! Did you say the Q word? Are you actually suggesting, Ms. Mindset, that quitting IS an option? Yes, dear reader, that’s exactly what I’m saying. Just as we have reasons for adapting, improvising, overcoming, and pressing on, there are times we need to recognize, rearrange, and restart when something doesn’t serve us. In other words, quitting isn’t the end. It’s the beginning.

Western Nevada College students are participating in a fall workshop series to foster their interest in launching a business.

Adams Hub for innovation of Carson City and Entrepreneurs Assembly, a Nevada nonprofit corporation, launched IdeaSpark! in October in a collaborative effort to bolster the entrepreneurial sector of the economy for Carson City and the surrounding area.

November is a month when giving thanks is at the forefront of our consciousness. Gratitude is an essential component of abundance. This morning, I made a conscious decision to be grateful for all I have. No matter how smooth flowing or choppy the river of life is there is always something to be grateful for — even if it is, as a friend of mine said this weekend, “two-ply quilted toilet paper.” Hey, it is good stuff.

Some of the strongest and most successful people in the world are those who have been through hell and back and came out holding the devil’s pitchfork. They took seemingly insurmountable circumstances and turned them around to create life out of destruction.

Energy vampires — they are everywhere, in people, in places, and in projects. They attack when you least expect it and suck the life blood out of you. After they are done, you are exhausted, less productive, and ready for a nap. But how do you know when you are working with or on an energy vampire? Here are a few ways to spot one.

My wife and I were on the fence about whether or not to purchase the downtown building at 716 North Carson, previously known as Washington Street Station. After all, the building was more than half empty and had not attracted a new tenant in five years.

A bank had repossessed the building two years previously and had been unable to sell it even as it gradually cut the initial listing price almost in half. And to top things off, the building had extensive water damage throughout caused by a leaky roof, and the few tenants it did have were unhappy with conditions.

Like it or not, we live in a society built on one-upmanship. Progress is formed by improving processes, inventing something new, and ultimately doing something just a little, or a lot, better than the next person. Competition is important for growth. However, how do you know when competition is becoming counter-productive? How can you groom your mindset to view competition in a healthy way, versus turning it into the song “anything you can do, I can do better?”

Love her or hate her, Rupaul has some wise words when it comes to loving yourself. “If you don’t love yourself, how the hell are you going to love someone else?” The wisest example I have found on loving myself came from a set of airplane instructions. “Put your own oxygen mask on first before you attempt to help someone with theirs.”

I think I just felt a hundred hearts skip a beat. “Diane, you are off your rocker. Aren’t you a business coach? Don’t you measure success based on EXPECTED outcomes?” Yes. The word OUTCOMES (plural) means there is more than one scenario to the situation and any one of them could come about. By not having expectations or at least not being emotionally tied to ONE outcome, I open myself up to the plural form. I try not to emotionally tie myself to “this is how it’s going to turn out.” Why? It’s limiting.

In 1945, Johnny Mercer wrote “Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive,” which became a hit. Subsequently, throughout the years, the song was covered by The Andrew Sisters and Bing Crosby, Bette Midler and Bing Crosby (Bing really loved the song), Sam Cooke, Aretha Franklin, and even the late, great, Ella Fitzgerald.

Entrepreneurs Assembly and Adams Hub for Innovation are pleased to announce a collaborative partnership to create, educate and encourage entrepreneurs via a comprehensive business start-up training program and mentoring initiative to launch this October in Carson City.

Both organizations are united in their missions to help develop, nurture and strengthen the entrepreneurial community in the greater Carson City area.

This year, there has been a lot of noise about how Burning Man has changed and how it’s not the same. The latest MOOP (Matter Out Of Place) map released last week showed more traces left behind than ever. The reactions to the map are varied. The worst reaction I’ve heard, however, is “I’m done.” The people who believe in the culture are the ones who can save it. If the believers leave, a shift will take place for sure. Perhaps the suggestions below will help veteran Burners instill the culture in every “virgin” on the Playa.

There’s something special about a good parody. I always get a laugh when something is turned on its head and shown in a new comedic light. Lately, I’ve realized I can do that with my own fallible actions. When I use humor on it, I render it powerless, shut up the nagging negatively in my head, and can actually laugh at myself.

Many celebrations are scheduled throughout the Silver State in the month of September. These Nevada 150 events celebrate all things Nevada and help bring awareness to the 150th Anniversary of Statehood. The following events are held Sept. 15 through 30.

It’s Monday, again. And every Monday we do what we do to prepare for the week. For many of us, that includes reviewing our calendars for appointments, meetings, events, and a variety of commitments.

But, have you ever stopped yourself and asked, “Am I over-structuring myself?” I attend the Center for Spiritual Living here in Carson City and this month we are reading a book that addresses over-structuring and other self-inflicted scenarios that limit us in life. It’s called “Real Moments” by Barbara De Angelis. It’s not a new book, but one I really think I’m going to love digging into.

On Labor Day, I realized I was out of two baking staples — milk and eggs. Off to Grocery Outlet I went, with sweet potato fries in the oven, 25 minutes on the oven timer and less than one hour until I had to leave for the first potluck of two I was scheduled to attend. To say I was “on the clock” would be quite literal.

I visited a friend’s house this weekend and noticed a dog roaming freely in their unfenced yard. At first I was taken aback and then I noticed something. They were utilizing an electric fence. Put aside your feelings about electric fences for a moment and hang with me for a bit. This concept can teach us a lot about personal and professional boundaries.