Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Business Goals and Personal Goals – ‘Misty Hollow’ and Me


These BLOGS are sponsored by my businesses.
Misty Hollow Carvingwas launched in October 2008
Misty Hollow Digital Images were launched on September 26, 2012.
“Crop Circles’ Web Site” where all my images are available.

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Business Goals and Personal Goals – ‘Misty Hollow’ and Me
So have you set your 2013 Goals and/or Resolutions up already?

Many of my friends are setting their new Business Goals for 2013. I have done that also.

I toy with the idea of my Goals for the next year at the end of the year. Then when I arrive I kind of lose focus because of life. How about you?

I am the sole proprietor of a small and busy business. I am the CEO, COO and CAO of “Misty Hollow Carving” – also known as “Misty Hollow”. I am also the production line manager, shop foreman, and janitor.  I am completely in charge of the Sales Force, Advertising Division, and Accounting, as well as personally handling all the major and minor accounts that have been developed over 4 years of building the business.

On the side I am also involved in keeping the staff of “Misty Hollow” healthy both physically and mentally.  I am continually working on Balance in all areas of each employee’s life. And what makes it really fun is that there is only one person that does it all – “ME”.

I came across a great posting by another business owner. She happens to also be a mom and wife… which makes her about 10 times busier than I ever could imagine.  I can see where her ideas are much like mine.

Today I will share two ideas - Schedules and Work/Life balance.

Number One: Set Schedules and Stick to them
We work with three calendars in our family, My Google Calendar, My wife’s written calendar and the one that dictates to what we all do – the one that is all about my 92 year old mother’s life.  She lives with us.

My other life before launching “Misty Hollow” was one of constant service to people plus the regular everyday routine things that had to be done. Crisis could take place anytime of the day, night or week. The regular things that absolutely had to be done were worked on constantly. The Crisis that came up was worked on immediately.  Panic and Steadiness guided most of my 35 years of doing what I did.  If I compare it to other jobs it was like owning and running the local Ambulance service while painting houses each day for a living. Drop the brush and run to the Ambulance call… come back and pick up the brush.

Starting my “Misty Hollow” business became like owning six Ambulance services and three painting companies.

The only way to control what is taking place is by a good calendar and regularly checking with it.  In four years of building “Misty Hollow” and keeping pace with an active, crisis filled life is keep to the schedule… and refer to the Calendar!

Number Two: Balance - Either Work, or be with your Family, but not both
“Misty Hollow” is a place in my mind and the minds of other people. But it is worked on in a number of places. It happens in my Garage Workshop where the physical wood products are created.  It happens at the Mall where presentation, sales, and delivery take place. It happens at McDonalds and Star Bucks where the Wifi and Coffee stir imagination and new ideas are worked on. And it happens in an office area where the tedious things are done.

But at times I have to leave “Misty Hollow” and focus on family. I drop “Misty Hollow” and pick up on Family things that must be done.  With just my wife and myself – we still do date nights and date days. We keep time to ourselves.

Then there are times when our grandkids and the clan show up. Everything stops business wise when they come. But we carefully schedule time for this. We know when they come and when they go. We spend time and celebrate family.

Add to that an aging and rather frail mother, that lives with us, takes more family time.  Doctor’s appointments and test schedules take priority some weeks – over all else.

But taking the portable work of “Misty Hollow” along while waiting on the “Mom Event” – provides for work not to be interrupted too terribly much.  As an artist and illustrator at “Misty Hollow” the material needed for that task comes along to the waiting room.

Tomorrow I will deal with Number Three: ‘Vacations/Time away’, Number Four: ‘Check ins’ and Number Five: ‘Delegate and delay’

But for now this post has to be wrapped up. The schedule for it today requires me to move on to the next steps of today.

~ Murray Lincoln ~
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