Happy Productive with Jennifer Dawn: Grow Your Business Without Giving Up Your Life Jennifer Dawn

If you want to tame the business chaos, use the process.

Yuri Chu Su is an Online Business Manager (OBM) with a passion for transforming business operations through effective processes and systems. Yuri shares her journey from a corporate CPA and auditor to a successful entrepreneur. Her journey was not easy, but she took time to reflect on her life and wishes before she stepped into the new career path.

Jennifer and Yuri discuss the critical role of processes in business success and how they can ensure quality, and give business owners the freedom to step away with certainty their business will run efficiently. They also talk about how simple tools like Google Sheets are great ways to track data and automate operations. The conversation moves to how to overcome resistance to change and distress with Jennifer’s amazing trick. These tips and more are just some of the gems in this episode.

Whether you're feeling overwhelmed by your business operations or looking for ways to optimize your systems, process is the key. And whatever process is causing you the most emotional distress - start with that one first!
▶️ The Process will set you free: business thing #1. 01:13 👩🏻‍💼 Yuri was a CPA and now is an OBM: optimizing processes and making businesses more efficient. 01:50🤓 The process is the most important connector of your business’ life:  06:18🤔 Questions to ask yourself when thinking about processes: outside perspective is really valuable. 07:16⚠️ Google Sheets are powerful: followups, staying organized and linking. 10:33⭐ Using Google Sheets for KPI tracking. 13:10😇 Looking at learning curves with resistance: pain equals growth.16:06😍 Jennifer’s favorite tool to get rid of stress and anxiety. 19:41✂️ Break down things to make them simple and basic and build from there.  22:53
Links:Website: www.yurichusu.com
Connect: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yurichusu/ 
Jennifer’s book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D2R1917J/
Jennifer’s Coaching: https://jenniferdawncoaching.com/

Thinking about what you want for your life can be scary!

Dena Jansen, author, speaker, and coach, with a background in corporate leadership, began her adult life in accountancy and as a farmer’s wife. Making the transition out of corporate to entrepreneurship, Dena walked into a different space in her career and within her marriage.

Dena’s book, Soul Farmer, is a book of self-reflection, which guides the reader through giving yourself time to be with yourself - remembering to invest in yourself, and allowing yourself time to rest. Farmers know that the ground needs time to rest, and Dena believes the same is true for us as people; her husband grows plants, and she grows people, as they both found their own passions, they were able to support each other as they grew.

Growing is not easy - but you do not have to grow alone!
Notes:💍 Dena realized that her marriage and career weren't healthy: she and her husband aged together, but didn't grow together. 2:51🤩 She and her husband are now on their "second marriage": her husband can grow plants, and she can grow people. 5:32📙 Her book Soul Farmer talks about everything you receive from her as a coach. 7:02📕 Jennifer's book is for business owners who find themselves sometimes hating their business. 9:43🌱 A different perspective on growth: from the farmer's perspective vs. seed's perspective. 12:05☯️ The biggest tool that comes out of the Soul Farmer book is self-reflection: giving yourself time with yourself. 14:47⚠️ It can be scary to think about what you want. 18:38🧘‍♀️ It's about pacing yourself: even the ground needs time to rest. 21:01📵 Invest in yourself: if nothing else, put your phone down for 60 minutes. 25:29
Links:
Website: https://www.denajansen.com/
Dina’s books: https://www.denajansen.com/books
Instagram: @dina_jansen
Jennifer’s book: https://www.amazon.com/Apple-Stand-Rekindle-Love-Business-ebook/dp/B0D26NQ8NT

You cannot solve a problem if you don’t admit that there is one!

Tiffany Sauder manages 3 businesses and 2 careers with her husband, with whom she shares 4 children. Watching her father start his own business, Tiffany grew up with an understanding of risk and and a healthy dose of curiosity. Having graduated with a degree in finance and starting a career in the corporate world, Tiffany convinced her dad to buy a small business, which went on to amazing success. 

However, Tiffany eventually found herself in a place where neither her business nor the way her marriage was going was sustainable. By undertaking radical changes in her business and starting marriage counseling, she was able to make the changes necessary to prioritize what was important in her life. She managed to get the ordinary bits of life to fit in the smallest possible container in order to make room for the extraordinary in life!

Her advice? Be willing to be vulnerable - you do not always have to be perfect!
Notes:👨‍👧 Tiffany is driven by significance: she grew up watching her dad's business, which made her start her own. 2:21👩‍💼 We need the courage to talk about the silent suffering that goes along with having a business. 5:56🤓 You can't solve things differently until you admit something's not working: making the necessary changes. 9:45👩‍💻 She wanted to make radical changes in her business by using the EOS framework. 14:19🍀 Changes in her personal life and marriage: the "triage" version of marriage counseling. 18:48💎 How Tiffany got the ordinary to fit in the smallest possible container, so she has time for the extraordinary. 22:39🛠️ Life of And Academy course tools: the morning round-up and the evening wind down. 25:23🎯 The concept of implied expectations versus explicit agreements. 29:43
Links: 
Website: https://elementthree.com/team/tiffany-sauder/onn
Connect: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiffanysauder/Connect with Jennifer: www.jenniferdawncoaching.com
Retreats: www.jenniferdawncoaching.com/our-retreat
Join our Academy: www.jenniferdawnacademy.com 

Success is closer than you think!

Michelle Rockwood, author of Joyful Selling, unintentionally became a sales coach. She realized she had something others did not; a skill, a passion, and a joy for sales coaching. Michelle believes strongly in creating a connection with people we are supporting and coaching, in making offers to people who really need them, and in ensuring we are prepared as we work in sales.

There is a distinct difference in masculine and feminine sales energy, and Michelle realized that the majority of sales training programs are written and delivered by men. It’s no wonder women are uncomfortable with this way of selling, and sometimes make our stomach churn, and often don’t find any joy in it. The goal is for you and the client alike to have an authentic sales experience that you both enjoy. This comes from authentically connecting with the client and ensuring we slow down and work smarter, not harder.

It IS possible to have a sales conversation that you actually enjoy!
Notes:👩‍💼 Michelle's journey into sales coaching started as a complete but beautiful accident. 02:19👠 The difference between a masculine and feminine sales approach. 05:13📞 The importance of creating an authentic connection with people on the call: they need to know they aren't being tricked. 11:34🥅 Making offers to people who really need your solution is the difference. 14:52⚠️ We shouldn't just have a conversation: it's important to have boundaries. 16:57🤓 Michelle's coaching clients around their decision: how to get support around the problem. 20:52🌸 A gentle release: dealing with people who might not have the financial ability. 23:50👉 If you don't like sales, it's probably because you're not prepared. 26:28📙 What Jennifer took away from Michelle's book: calendar and rescheduling. 32:30😇 Get people to know you before you get on a call with them. 35:17
Website: https://michellerockwood.com/ 
Book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BV8R6KFB Connect with Jennifer: www.jenniferdawncoaching.com
Retreats: www.jenniferdawncoaching.com/our-retreat
Join our Academy: www.jenniferdawnacademy.com 

We can only control ourselves - we cannot control how someone responds to us.
Lori Crooks, CEO of CADRA, began her working life crunching numbers and auditing in accounting, before life as an IT auditor and working with companies to ensure that they comply with security standards and apply best practices. Many businesses are simply overwhelmed and unsure where to turn; Lori ensures that companies have the guidance they need to comply and for their IT environments to be secure.  Lori encourages women to achieve appropriate education, but also to create a connection with men. The IT industry is a male-dominated one, however, connections are important and can be forged through conversation, having a sense of humor, and perhaps sometimes via sarcasm. Lori teaches that women need to believe in themselves when they sit at a table where they are the only female and remind themselves that they deserve to be there as much as any male. Never forget to have an open mind, and to seek out different opinions.
SHOW NOTES:😊 Lori began her career as an IT auditor: ensuring IT environments are built securely. 2:08⚠️ Small businesses are more vulnerable to sensitive information. 5:03🤓 Lori’s team makes sure companies comply with security standards and are applying best practices. 6:56👠 How Lori has been able to fit in to this typically male-dominated industry. 8:06👉 The hardest thing about developing your own business is finding the right clients. 12:23🤩 Jennifer’s experience with both corporate and entrepreneur software work. 13:32🎯 Lori’s advice for women is to get the appropriate education, but to also create a connection with men. 18:54🎯 If coworkers can provoke a strong emotional reaction in you, it may indicate there is a certain issue you need to work on. 21:20
LINKS:Website: https://www.cadra.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lori-crooks
Connect with Jennifer: www.jenniferdawncoaching.com
Retreats: www.jenniferdawncoaching.com/our-retreat
Join our Academy: www.jenniferdawnacademy.com 

When you get committed, solutions appear. 

Amy Kemp is the author, owner & CEO of Amy Kemp, Inc. After deciding that she did not want to work as a teacher, Amy started her own business which grew faster than she ever thought it would. Amy now helps leaders and business professionals understand how deeply thought habits impact every part of their work and lives. 

Mindset and habits are two things that are foundational for any result in our lives. We usually want to bypass each of these and push through to a result we are looking to achieve. However, we end up realizing that there was no foundation and therefore things begin to collapse. Amy explains how structure is not a restrictive cage but rather a path to freedom if used properly.

The power lies in embracing the gentle structures within our business and when we allow flexibility and unexpected things to happen. Allowing ourselves and others to recharge and shift perspective, brings in a space for change.

You cannot always be in the space of problem solving - give yourself time and space to recharge so your creativity (and productivity) can blossom. 
Notes👩‍🏫 Growing a business in the laundry room: from teaching high school to direct sales business. 01:14🙃 Tutoring 1000 independent sales consultants: a message Amy kept hearing and a sentence that changed her life. 03:09▶️ Habit finder coaching: starting a new business. 05:45🤓 Jennifer’s story on the most powerful exercise she did: a flip side of habits. 07:25📘 Amy’s book: observe your resistance - if you dig underneath it, you will find unhealed pain. 09:54🪷 Lower the bar and go easy on yourself: Keep structure flexible to make it work and try with gentle structure. 14:07🦜 When neglecting and pushing the structure away because you think it's a cage, you end up in the cage. 20:39📈 Structures needed for business growth: embracing structure but in the middle of the pendulum. 23:36🚦 Slow down: you can't outwork your thought habits - schedule guilt-free play time during your day. 26:47☯️ Inspired ideas come when we give ourselves a break and time to replenish and relax. 29:52🚗 Business is just a vehicle to create a life. It's not the life 32:06📚 “I See You” book is a guide for women who want more influence, impact, and income without more work.  35:31
Links:
Website: www.amykemp.com
Book: www.amykemp.com/book
Connect with Jennifer: www.jenniferdawncoaching.com
Retreats: www.jenniferdawncoaching.com/our-retreat
Join our Academy: www.jenniferdawnacademy.com