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Susan Lannis

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Time Liberation Agent, ORGANIZATION Plus! Inc

296 points

Owning a business is a bit like plate spinning - there are 7 key areas that require time, thought and energy but you can only DO one at a time while keeping an eye on the rest.

I help small business ...

Owning a business is a bit like plate spinning - there are 7 key areas that require time, thought and energy but you can only DO one at a time while keeping an eye on the rest.

I help small business owners and solo-preneurs simplify those key areas by designing systems based on how they naturally work, think and function.

By keeping the systems simple and effective, you can succeed in the business, keep all the plates in the air and have the life they want.

Liberate time - tame the to-do list, focus your energy and build clarity about where you want to take your life and your business.

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May 15, 2012

Susan Lannis and 4 other people answered this question

What do you consider as the top 10 needs of small business owners in 2012?

Lots of good ideas here already - one I would add-
How to build models - big picture frameworks - for all the key areas of their business - finances, marketing, technology, leadership, and expertise building. Within a framework you can build strategies, projects, action ... more

May 11, 2012

Susan Lannis and 11 other people answered this question

How do you stay focused?

Think and act in the same way a monkey swings through the trees - centered with most of your weight on the now while letting go of what is done and turning enough attention to see what is next. Our experience of time varies - ... more

Personal Productivity

May 7, 2012

Susan Lannis and 5 other people answered this question

What social media channels do you use to learn about your industry?

I'm old enough that social media is generally a secondary option :)

Human Resources

May 3, 2012

Susan Lannis and 8 other people answered this question

What are some tips to making the most of my commute into work?

As a time liberator, and assuming if you are driving in a car by yourself you need to modify this a bit, I would say, make it a time for thinking, reflection, or destressing by just 'being' - no particular 'doing'.
That is an incredibly ... more

May 3, 2012

Susan Lannis and 7 other people answered this question

Are tradeshows and exhibitions still relevant for meeting new prospects?

As a productivity consultant, rather than a marketing or sales expert, I think it's still an important part of the mix because face-to-face is still the most efficient mode of communicaiton.
It is a proactive lead generator rather than a passive one and there is ... more

May 2, 2012

Susan Lannis and 11 other people answered this question

Why do employees in an organization often resist changes?

As someone who helps small businesses change to adapt and integrate with the changing world and marketplace I think it is because we are all pretty much dealing with lots of change in every aspect of our life - some by choice and some not. ... more

Human Resources

Change Management

Company Culture

April 26, 2012

Susan Lannis and 5 other people answered this question

How do you sell the value of adding internet service to a small business when they don't see a need?

As a non-tech, non sales person answering this I would advise that there is no convincing to be done. Learn who their clients are, what solution the company provides to solve the problems their clients have and then think about these questions. Know what goals ... more

Internet Service

April 20, 2012

Susan Lannis and 7 other people answered this question

In your opinion, can one share too much online?

Yes. Beyond facebook updates and like, I think information sharing of any kind deserves careful consideration. As an information imparting business, I try to make sound choices about how much to give away free for marketing purposes and what amounts to 'giving away my store'. ... more

Information Sharing

April 18, 2012

Susan Lannis and 15 other people answered this question

What are some tips to making PowerPoint presentations less boring?

Just saw this PC World article yesterday with some PowerPoint tricks I was unaware of that I thought would jazz up a presentation. http://bit.ly/HNXCqd more

Jan. 10, 2012

Susan Lannis and 3 other people answered this question

What are your top business apps for mobile phones?

As a Time Liberator, there is at least one app I would recommend - CamCard for Android - there are equivilants for the iphone. It uses the phone's camera to take a photo of a business card and translate the text into the data fields ... more

Information Technology

Jan. 6, 2012

Susan Lannis and 6 other people answered this question at this roundtable

Community Management 101: Startup Edition [1/4 @ 11 am]

How do you balance day to day activities with longer term projects? How do you get time to focus?

As a Time Liberator, this is some of the advice I give my clients:
Make the important project the first thing you do - before e-mail, call returns, texts - everthing.
Plan only 1 or 2 major appointments or projects per day - don't cram ... more

Customer Service

Community Management

Dec. 12, 2011

Susan Lannis and 16 other people answered this question

What is the single most important thing you've learned about business that college can't teach?

How to let go.
You have to learn how to let go of old ideas, models and ways of working as fast as the world is changing.
You have to let go of conceptions of how you think you are supposed to be and be ... more

Customer Service

Human Resources

Nov. 22, 2011

Susan Lannis and 4 other people answered this question

How do you get people from outside of your organization to adhere to deadlines?

Typically the problem lies in the fact that your sense of the priority is different from theirs. You are seeing it as one project but it is one among many for them. They are having to slot it in with requests from other sources with ... more

General Management

Customer Satisfaction

Nov. 16, 2011

Susan Lannis and 8 other people answered this question

What is 'work'? How do you define it today?

Work is the time, knowledge and resources I invest, to do projects and tasks I enjoy, to generate the revenue I need to live the life I want. more

General Management

Human Resources

Nov. 11, 2011

Susan Lannis and 67 other people answered this question

What do you consider the difference between a manager and a leader?

A leader sees and sets a direction.
A manager figures out what has to happen,who needs to do what and when to get to the destination the leader has chosen. more

General Management

Human Resources

Oct. 31, 2011

Susan Lannis is now following Harley McKenson

Oct. 24, 2011

Susan Lannis and 1 other person answered this question

What was your first business venture? What age were you when you started this venture?

I was about 11 or 12 when my sister and 2 brothers and I opened a lemonade and snow cone stand in the front yard. Ran it for about 3 weekends. We were on a small street (Warlock) perpendicular to a well traveled one. I ... more

Venture Capital

Oct. 21, 2011

Susan Lannis and 3 other people answered this question at this roundtable

What's Inhibiting Cloud Usage? [11/2 @ 1 pm]

What should we do that will simplify cloud use? What's missing?

As a lay person and business owner, I think the inhibitor is knowledge - knowledge that businesses fail.
Someone needs to answer/find a permanent resolution to the always existing possibility that the entity storing your information in the cloud can fail. What method/process do must ... more

Information Technology

Cloud Computing

Oct. 10, 2011

Susan Lannis and 26 other people answered this question

What is the one business characteristic that you would like to mimic of Steve Jobs?

He lived Shakespreare's line - To Thyne Own Self Be True.
He was WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) always. He had the courage to be genuinely himself in the face of both praise and condemnation and in doing so, gave us the ... more

General Management

Sept. 28, 2011

Susan Lannis and 4 other people answered this question

What is your favorite productivity tool that you use in your business?

My mind - I use it to think about every task and project. A little time devoted to just thinking before plunging into the day saves me a ton of time and energy. As a time liberator, I encourage my clients to spend a few ... more

Information Technology

Sept. 28, 2011

Susan Lannis and 23 other people answered this question

How do you fight procrastination?

As a time liberator, I teach my clients that the only difference between prioritization and procrastination is how feel about it. Both are making a decision to do one activity before another. When we feel bad we call it procrastination when we feel good about ... more

Procrastination

Time Management

Sept. 22, 2011

Susan Lannis recommends this answer by John Anderson

Should the government forgive student loans?

Absolutely not! The economic stimulus argument aside, what lesson would "forgiving" a loan teach college graduates? It's OK to stiff a lender just because you can? Personal responsibility is for someone else? Making a commitment means nothing?
We already have a huge entitlement mentality in this ... more

Sept. 22, 2011

Susan Lannis and 1 other person answered this question at this roundtable

The Biggest Sin in Selling: Discounting! [9/22 @ 1 pm]

What is the value of a service that you offer for free and how do you explain it?

It's a little to the side but rather than using the word 'free' - which is often interpreted as of little or no value - I use the term 'at-no-charge'- which conveys value. more

Customer Service

Information Technology

Sept. 20, 2011

Susan Lannis and 2 other people answered this question at this roundtable

The Biggest Sin in Selling: Discounting! [9/22 @ 1 pm]

What do you do when a prospect says, "I will only buy from you if you drop it to this price"?

As a service business, I change the scope of the work to align with what they are willing to pay. If there is still a problem ,I offer non-service product alternatives that may fit their budget - video, classes, audio programs. If we cannot agree ... more

Sept. 7, 2011

Susan Lannis and 11 other people answered this question

What are some easy ways small businesses can cut costs?

There are three types of expenses and each type needs to be managed differently.
Variable costs fluctuate with sales. Commissions paid is an example. Since they more or less stay in line with sales they are the most desirable and are essentially self managing.
Fixed costs are ... more

Aug. 24, 2011

Susan Lannis and 3 other people answered this question

What's going on with the US Postal Service?

Well said Jim! Evolve or face extinction. They need a new model. We have seen the implosion and end of the industrial age models all around us in the last 2-3 years - the tipping point of a process that started back in the late ... more

General Management

U.S. Postal Service

Aug. 22, 2011

Susan Lannis and 6 other people answered this question

Why do many small businesses view social media as unnecessary?

I do use social media but since I work with small business owners who are struggling to get their work done I don't consider it a major source for finding business - my typical client does not have the time for social media. I*use it ... more

Small Business Social Media

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