by Angie Weinberger

When you are a business owner you often feel torn apart between taking on more clients and providing better service to your existing clients. Sometimes you might even feel that you deserve a higher quality in your personal life. Most business owners I know work every weekend and when they become mildly successful they realize that they have not been in touch with their oldest friends and even their family is often neglected.

While you are transitioning from being in the start-up phase where every penny counts to be on a plateau of a revenue stream coming in from existing clients and before you develop your business further ask yourself these 10 questions:

1) How much turnover do I need in order to have a basic income that is sufficient to survive?
– Write down this number.

2) If I would have more income how would I spend it? Which of needs are not fulfilled with my basic income?
– Start a wish list or wish book.

3) Am I willing to sacrifice quality time for these wishes or is time with friends and family more important to me?
– Mark the wishes you would still like to see fulfilled.

4) Could I provide a better service quality to my current clients and raise my prices before acquiring new clients?
– Go through your services and write down what you could improve.
– Consider the value of your services and explain them to new clients.

5) Do I work for other providers and do I have clients in my portfolio that are not willing to pay for my new price level?
– Communicate your new price level to these providers and clients.

6) Do I believe that my services are so unique that no one else can provide them in the same quality?
– Review your services for the uniqueness and see if you can make them even more unique so people do not really care how much you charge.

7) Am I happy with my services and do I feel rewarded with my price level?
– Check your gut feeling with the price tags.
– Review all your services again and throw out what does not suit you any longer.

8) Am I still doing work that is not well paid? Is it for a good cause?
– If the answer is yes and the work is for profit and not for a good cause I suggest you decline it going forward.

9) Do I believe that I can make a difference in the world with what I do?
– If the answer to this question is “No.” talk to me.

10) Will I learn to say “No” more often in 2019?
– You can only say yes to this question.

The year-end is a good time to review your prices and your service quality. Sit down with a glass of champagne to celebrate your success. Go through the ten questions above and practice to say “No” more often in order to say “Yes” to the right clients and the right jobs.

With our HireMeGroup we hack the job market in Switzerland through developing strong business connections.

Have you been looking for a job or a new job for more than six months?

Have you written over 100 online applications without getting a positive response – EVER?

And are you sure that there are jobs in your field but you just never get a chance to show that you could excel at them?

And are you worried that you will never be able to feed your family, that your kids will never get the education they deserve and that your partner despises you for being at home?

Then it’s time to work with us. Because these are all good reasons to join our upcoming HireMeGroup with Angie Weinberger.

You will receive guidance from our experienced Global Mobility Coach Angie Weinberger and the support of a group of like-minded professionals. Angie is the author of “The Global Career Workbook”.

Hack the Swiss Job Market!

With the HireMeGroup you’ll hack the Swiss Job Market.

You’ll feel more self-confident in your job search and understand how to network even if you are introverted. Most of our clients find a job during or shortly after the HireMe! program.

Program Dates:

Meetings will be held on three Saturday mornings from 9 AM to 12 PM in a location in 8032 Zurich. We will arrange one meeting per month on 26 January 2019, 16 February 2019, 9 March 2019.

Arrange a meeting with Angie now to discuss and agree your personal goals for the #HireMeGroup. These should be completed before the start of the Group.

Fee CHF 1’200 + VAT per participant, payable before the start of the program.

Group size: Maximum 6 participants.

Prerequisites:

• Valid residence permit (L, B or F) for Switzerland. If you have an L-permit you can also join us. We are open to recognized refugees.
• The group will be run in English but in case you’d prefer to join a German group, please let us know.
• We will not accept more than six people per group to ensure that everyone has enough air time.
• Participants have to come to a new location in 8032 Zurich. If you live too far away ask Angie for 1:1 online coaching options.

Still deciding?

Not sure if a group coaching program is right for you? Here are some of the reasons why you might select a group, over an individual, coaching program

• Wider accountability not just to the coach but also to others in the group
• Gain immediate access to a trusted circle of like-minded professionals
• Expand your network faster – in a group, you will not only exchange experiences but also networks
• Receive feedback from the coach but also from others in the group
• Get access to our expertise at a lower cost

Not ready yet but you might want to join a group in the future?

Sign up for the Global People Club Sandwich.

Here is an outline of the content we usually cover in the HireMe! Groups. However, it’s not a training so content and discussion topics will always be customized according to the needs of the group on the day of the event.

Outline

Build your professional network in Switzerland or elsewhere

Refine your personal brand

Improve your professional presence online

Style your job applications to Swiss recruitment practices

Write effective Letters of Motivation

Learn the art of storytelling in interviews

Improve your stories

Deepen your understanding of your personal values

Improve your Executive Presence in Interviews

Set weekly targets at a healthy realistic pace

The Global Career Workbook

The Global Career Workbook will be used as a guide through the program.

Facilitator / Coach: Angie Weinberger

Guest Blog by Danny

Every day, there are people seeking opportunities to work abroad thanks to the internet that has increased information exchange, making it a lot easier for people to find jobs to apply for. While it goes well for most of them, some people still struggle with fitting in and properly adjusting to a new work environment.

Other than a chance to grow financially, anyone considering to work overseas must have other goals of advancing in different areas. But before you make that move, what are the top things you need to consider:

Anticipate culture shock

Most people do thorough research about a new environment before they move, but unlike moving from a city to another, changing nations, and perhaps continents, is not easy. Culture shock is the emotional, mental and physical disorientation someone experiences due to the sudden exposure to a totally new environment. Unfortunately, there is no test, even the Basic Skills Test that tests your cognitive ability for maximum productivity in the workplace, that can adequately prepare you for this kind of situation.

At first, the difference you realize while in the new environment may only be in the eating and dressing habits, but with time, concepts like time zones, economic structures, language barrier, organizational cultures, bureaucratic systems, among others, will catch you by surprise. Driving might even be difficult for you, with different rules to apply. You will probably experience what is called “culture shock”. Culture shock is the emotional, mental and physical disorientation someone experiences due to sudden exposure to a totally new environment. It includes changes in lifestyle habits, attitudes, food changes, language barrier, among others. It often refers to an emotional state similar to a depression where you do not want to meet the local population any longer and where you wish to retreat to your home.

Therefore, it always helps to anticipate a certain level of disorientation for the move to overseas.

Understand the work permit terms

A lot of people end up frustrated in a foreign place after termination of employment, having to find illegal ways of sticking around, simply due to failure to understand the terms of the visa.

Now, depending on which type of work permit you have, the terms are different. Some dictate that you return to your home country after being fired or losing a job, while some give you a chance to work for a limited number of years, upon which you must return to your nation. In most cases, the employer takes care of acquiring a work permit for their international hires, but that does not take off the duty you have of going through the paperwork to understand the conditions. Further, different countries stipulate different guidelines under which someone would receive a work permit, depending on the amount of work you do.

Getting credit can be very difficult

Do not just assume that once you move abroad things will be well for you, particularly financially. Once you are in a foreign country, it can be tough to get things done on credit and loans. Instead, consider getting a credit card with an international bank before you leave your nation, which is a lot easier to transfer the card over having to rally for people to vouch for you before you can acquire a credit card.

Banking can also get complicated

Working overseas might be the clean slate you needed to get your life on the right track both financially and careerwise, but when it comes to banking, you may need to come prepared, because anything could happen. The first step you must ensure you follow before the big move is to have reserve money in the bank, preferably in an international bank. While you may find it cheaper to travel on local currency with a weekly paycheck to keep your wallet busy, you will need some backup plan should anything go wrong, for example, a stall in your payment.

Have an international health cover

Among the worst things that could happen to you in a foreign land is to fall sick, when you do not have the comfort of family or a little understanding of the medical systems. Make it a priority to get an international medical cover that will take some of the pressure and worry away.

Change is not easy, leave alone a big change like this. While it is okay to get excited about your new job, take time to deliberate through some of the things enlisted here to help you transition effortlessly.

The Global Career Workbook

If you want to move abroad for work and do not know where to start check out Angie Weinberger’s “Global Career Workbook” here.

About the Blogger: Danny Kariuki

https://www.linkedin.com/in/danny-kariuki-31733374/

Danny Kariuki is a top-rated freelance writer on Upwork. He helps clients reach greater heights through top-notch content development strategies.

by Caitlin Krause

I must admit, I initially went to see Spectre in the theater for one prime reason: eye candy. Yes, my motivation was all about the external appeal: I wanted to dive into a light panoplied spectacle that’s equal parts engaging and artificial; to lose myself in iconic imagery, and to revel in watching easy-on-the-eyes Daniel Craig as James Bond in the flesh.

Why is Bond so palatable, across generations, sexes, cultures and creeds? Bond is as familiar as he is idolized; men want to be him; women want to date him. Or, women want to be him and men want to date him — it actually doesn’t matter how you slice it; he’s an archetype for the ages; a brand’s dream. Now, with everything from 007 drinks to anti-perspirant, there’s a whole range of products catering to those who want to “be Bond” (or, at least, smell like him).

So, what’s the secret that makes Bond stick? It’s an appeal that’s much deeper than skin. Yes, he’s the quintessential sexy Brit — yet, he also represents something universally appealing to our core sensibility as humans.

[tweetthis twitter_handles=”@MindWise_CK”] What I soon realized brought a smile: in several major ways, Bond epitomizes a mindful demeanor. [/tweetthis]

Spy and agent activity aside, the following five aspects of Bond’s behavior are mindful hallmarks:

1 — He’s self-directed. James Bond understands the bigger picture, and he usually knows the next steps he needs to take, without always waiting for direction and instruction from authority figures. In this way, he exhibits modern leadership traits of self-reliance and strength. His superiors (Ralph Fiennes among them, as the new “M”) learn to give him a certain amount of autonomy, promoting modern teamwork models of self-management and mutual trust.

2 — He’s radically honest. Bond rarely (if ever) feigns friendship. He’s true to his allies, and his opponents know where he stands. He usually gives others the benefit of the doubt, until his trust is compromised. He even sometimes puts himself in vulnerable positions (such as visiting enemy lairs and hangouts) in the hopes of gaining knowledge and forming alliances. He’s cautious, yet open, which often gives him a hidden advantage… and, heightens the drama.

3 — He’s patient. Strategic and contemplative, Bond knows how to wait for the opportune moment. He’s not impulsive — rather, he’s direct and deliberate. He plans, without over-thinking to the point of rumination. Impressive in his own circumspect manner, he also delays/denies his own fun… if he’s pushed to sacrifice it, that is. The opening scene of Spectre is case-in-point: is Bond’s female companion from the festival in Mexico City still waiting for him to return to their hotel room? In a classic comic scene, she asks him where he’s going, he disappears out the window, telling her that he’ll “be right back”… yet, way leads unto way, and it seems there are more important matters at hand.

4 — He knows how to focus. Along with the above point, Bond knows how to be fully engaged in the present moment, without fixating on past and future. This doesn’t mean that he can’t learn from his experiences, yet he doesn’t let them distract him from his goals. In fact, we see any fixation on ghosts from the past revealed as a weakness, which is part of the theme of Spectre. What might haunt him instead becomes an advantage when he learns how to apply his knowledge and focus to the present moment.

5 — He can kick off his shoes and have a good time. Basically, Bond would be a fun date. I’m not certain if he’s much of a conversationalist, yet he seems to appreciate the moments of joy (ahem!) along the way. He can joke around a bit, and he often pauses between the high-stress moments in order to appreciate the finer details. He likes his martinis shaken, not stirred, and he loves the thrill of the ride (after all, it’s all about the journey, right?). Fineries aside, I could certainly imagine Bond appreciating the beauty in a reflective moment… fleeting as it might be.

Yes, while I could point out all of the mindful aspects of his personality and behavior, certainly Bond’s propensity for fisticuffs would discredit him from becoming the mindful poster-boy. Still, for me, it’s compelling to consider that much of the Bond attraction could be due to his cool, calm, collected persona. Developing a life of his own seems to be his next mission… This just might be the ultimate mindful message: in the end, Bond chooses personal love over his agent identity. Could this be his moment of mindful redemption? If so, love really does conquer all.