The ADD Business Owner

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Business Travel & ADD: Lessons Learned

I attended the AD/HD Coaches Organization annual conference last week and I thought it might be helpful to post my 'lessons learned,' especially as they relate to my earlier posts on 'business travel and ADD."

Lessons Learned:

1. Do NOT tell clients I'll be available via email. I had some problems with my Internet connection at the hotel and couldn't download a bunch of emails. This isn't the first time I've had this problem, either. (Solution: answer emails if possible, but don't commit to it.)
2. DO take the following day off. The conference was a Friday-Sunday, so I am now on my 8th straight working day, and have a full week ahead. A recharging day after returning home would have been helpful.

Lessons Reiterated:

1. DO plan ahead for self-care. One of the easiest things to "fall off track" with when traveling is food. I know that certain foods will screw with my energy and mood, and that includes hotel food. So the night of my arrival, I found a nearby Whole Foods and stocked up on the kinds of food I eat when I'm home. I felt much better at this conference than I did at the last one I attended, during which I ate a lot of hotel food.
   
2. Do NOT plan to get work done. I broke my own rule on this one! I know better than to expect myself to get things crossed off my list while away on business. It creates too much stress and pressure, and it's often an unrealistic expectation. But I did it anyway this time, thinking I'd do some work on the plane. I might have, if I didn't have two screaming kids and their neurotic mother behind me. Better to not plan on getting work done, and consider it a bonus if I do.

For more posts on business travel and ADD, see:
ADD Business Travel Tip #1
ADD Business Travel Tip #2
ADD Business Travel Tip #3

Freedom to Make the Rules

Last night I finished reading Merle's Door by Ted Kerasote, a book recommended by our vet. Unlike Dog Whisperer Cesear Milan's authoritarian approach to dog training, Ted's all about letting his dog be a dog. Merle looks a lot like my Punky, and stories of his independent personality often had me giggling in bed as I read, thinking about how much I love my 10-year old Punky.

Reading in bed at 1.30am this morning, I had about 70 pages left in the book when it became apparent that we were getting into the subject of Merle's death. I knew it was coming. I had been dreading it. I decided to face it head on and get it over with. That meant finishing the book right then and there, which also meant being up all night.

I spent two solid hours bawling. I whaled and sobbed to the point where I had to stop reading--multiple times--because I couldn't see the words on the page through my watery eyes.

It was a great book, but probably my last 'I-love-my-dog-so-much' book. I just can't handle them.

At 5am I was still awake, trying to fall asleep and thinking to myself that I had screwed up my work day. Now I would be tired and fall behind in my work. Leaving for a conference tomorrow, I couldn't afford to take the day off. I started to feel guilty, and then I had a moment of clarity.

I can sleep in. I don't have kids to get up with. I don't have clients or appointments in the morning. I own my own business, and I can adjust my own hours. This one of the reasons I own a business to begin with. Because it allows me the freedom to make my own rules.

Of course, staying up all night to bawl my eyes out over a dog I never knew isn't ideal. But it's nice to have the freedom to make that choice.

Save the Drama for Your Mama

Adults with ADD crave stimulation. When we don't have enough stimulation in our work or home lives, we can easily get sucked into drama.

Think back to high school, when phrases like these dominated conversations:

• She told him and he told me that _____.
• I hear that he said _____.
• Did you hear what she did?
• I can't believe he _____!

Of course, many of these statements get spread, twisted, and overblown. Before you know it, the whole school hates some poor person who probably doesn't deserve it. That is, until the next target emerges.

As mature as we like to think we are, the drama doesn't stop in high school. Drama and gossip prevail throughout our lives, and only the most enlightened are able to detach from it. ADDers, in particular, can get wrapped up in drama because it's often much more interesting than the day-to-day stuff.

As business owners, however, we have to be extra careful about getting caught up in drama. For starters, YOU set the tone for your staff. If you devote lots of your time to gossip, you can expect that your staff will, too. Additionally, your conduct sets the tone for your brand. A business owner who gossips sends a message of being untrustworthy.

Perhaps the biggest danger of all when it comes to getting caught up in drama is that it can turn around and bite you in the ass. Just like in high school, those who participate in the drama will always end up as a target eventually. That can hurt your reputation, and thus hurt your business. And you probably won't even see it coming.

It's perfectly normal to get caught up in drama every once in a while, although it's no doubt better to avoid it altogether. If you do find yourself engaged in some drama, here are a few tips to keep it under control:

• Restrict gossip to a few people you know very well and trust whole-heartedly. Note that this does NOT mean your staff, clients, or customers!
• Don't believe everything you hear. There are three sides to every story: your's, mine, and the truth.
• Remain objective whenever possible and give people the benefit of the doubt. You'd want them to do the same for you.

What are your thoughts about drama at work? Have you or your business ever been the subject of drama? Please share your thoughts!

A Tale of Two Accountants

I've been doing my own taxes since my very first after-school job at 15. I remember the days when filing that 1040EZ form took 10 minutes and resulted in a nice refund.

Then came full time jobs, itemized deductions, and Schedule C forms, so I moved over to TurboTax for my more complicated tax filings.

Last year, ever-increasing complications with my taxes along with a desire to delegate the stresses in my life had me searching for a good accountant. I found a firm that had a lot of experience in filing business taxes, and counted many local businesses as their clients. Let's call them The Firm. They were quite thorough. But they were stuffy. A little dry. Dare I say boring?

So when it came time to make Erin a partner in the business last summer, I shopped around for a new accountant. I found someone I liked--let's caller her The Other Accountant, and then proceeded to write a post entitled HELP! My Accountant Has ADD!

The Other Accountant was very friendly, a little kooky, and insanely upbeat. She even told me that she thought she might have ADD! She wasn't as knowledgeable as The Firm, and had to look up a couple of thing. But we got along fabulously, and I thought she would be a better match for me and the business.

Man, was I wrong.

In January, The Firm sent a large envelope in the mail. It contained a 20-page questionnaire, along with  a list of all the documents we would need to file our personal and business taxes for 2007. And, there was a postage-paid envelope included in the packet. They made it as easy as possible--answer these simple questions, gather these documents, mail everything to us in this envelope, and we'll get to work! Talk about ADD-friendly!!

I heard nothing from The Other Accountant.

While I technically didn't need to meet with The Firm this year, I scheduled an appointment because this was the first year that we were filing as an S-Corp, as opposed to a single member LLC, and I had questions.

First, I was a little embarrassed when I had to explain to The Firm that The Other Accountant filed some papers for us. "We cheated on you," I told the Managing Partner. "And we learned our lesson." Thankfully, he laughed. Little did I know that there was even more lesson to learn.

When The Firm looked at the papers The Other Accountant filed, they immediately saw that she had filed the papers incorrectly. She filed us as a multi-member LLC, not as an S-corp. Needless to say, I was pissed.

The Firm then proceeded to explain that they didn't think we should file as an S-corp for various reasons. Of course, we had this discussion with The Other Accountant last summer, who was obviously in over her head in this matter. I felt a little stupid but, hey, how the hell was I to know? I'm not a CPA!

Everything is being straightened out now, by The Firm, of course. And I have learned a very important lesson: Accounting is not like coaching.  When choosing a coach, personality plays a large role. When choosing an accountant, knowledge and experience trump personality. Boring accountants in suits  will save you time and money in the long run...at least in my case, anyway!

Only 13 days left til April 15! Have YOU filed your taxes yet? :)

For Your Distraction AND Education: The SEO Rapper

Do you do business online, or does your business at least have a website? If so, then you'll want to check out The SEO Rapper on YouTube. He's got rap lessons on topics such as Design Coding, Conversion Closing, Paid Search.

Business education has never been so entertaining. I'm ready to hire him!

ADD-friendly Business Travel Tip #3: Be Yourself, ADD & All

When I asked business owners to tell us their biggest challenges when traveling on business, Coach V said:

The biggest challenge for me is to remember all the people I meet at events. Chamber meetings to conferences to consulting, there are so many people and I forget names. Its embarrassing and also stressful.

Poor working memory is is a common problem associated with adult ADD. This means that it can be easy to forgot the "little things," like where you put your keys. It also means you may have a tendency to forget names and/or faces. And if you fear this challenge from the start, your anxiety and stress may make your working memory even worse!

Despite our worries to the contrary, most people are not offended when you politely explain that you have a tendency to forget names (for example.) Try saying something like, "I'm so sorry, but would you tell me your name one more time? I have an awful time remembering names!"

Or, even better, "It's nice to meet you, Jane! And please forgive me if I need you to remind me of your name a few times. It's always been a challenge of mine."

Fortunately, this is one challenge that there's really no need to stress about. It's actually much better to just be yourself, forgetfulness and all. People will appreciate your honesty, and your authenticity.

More ADD-friendly business travel tips can be found here and here.

And don't forget that it's March mADDness over at Experiencing ADDvantages! You can win some great prizes just for commenting on a post!

Combating Email Overload

I know you're all probably getting tired of hearing this, but it comes up so frequently with so many different ADD business owners that I feel the need to keep reiterating it:

Too much time on email is preventing you from being an effective, productive, and profitable business owner. An hour a day keeps email overload away.

I know this is sometimes easier said than done, and I have new tool to recommend to help you control the time you spend on email. Instant Boss is a free web application that can help you keep track of the time you work.

You can set it for 60 minutes of work time, and let it run while you answer as many emails as you can. A small pop up alerts you when the 60 minutes is up. This is how I've been using it and I love it!

You can also program break time, and an "angry boss" icon will pop up and fake-yell at you to get back to work when your break is over.

It's a cute tool but, more importantly, it's a great help to adults with ADD who tend to lose track of time at work. Try it out and let me know what you think!

Oh, and by the way, don't forget to head over to my main blog, Experiencing ADDvantages, for some March mADDness giveaways!

And remember...an hour a day keeps email overload away!

ADD-friendly Business Travel Tip #2: Get What You Came For

In response to my earlier post on Business, Travel & ADD, tac anderson commented:

My biggest problem is actually getting any work done. I always plan to make the most of my down time or get some work done in the evenings (you'd think it would be easier w/ my wife and kids around) but it never works out that way.

It's a great point...and a trap that many of us fall into. We think, I'll be away from the office and all the distractions for a few days so I'll really be able to get some work done!

Of course, it's always a big plus if we can find some "extra time" to get more work done. But business trips can be so stressful and overwhelming to begin with that it doesn't always work in our favor to try to accomplish a lot while we're away. So when my clients ask me to help them prepare for a business trip, I always encourage them to stay focused on the reason for travel.

For example, when attending a conference, determine your primary objective. Is it to present to an audience, sell your products and services, learn new things, or network and forge relationships? The vast majority of your focus and energy need to be directed towards your primary objective. 

If you have the energy and brain power to accomplish more, then that's a happy bonus...and I stress the word bonus. When you have adult ADD, sometimes that "free time" during travel is best spent recharging. 

When you have a tendency to become easily stressed, distracted, overwhelmed, and burnt out, it's best to set realistic expectations of what you can accomplish when you travel for business, and then plan accordingly.

More business travel tips are on the way, stay tuned! If you'd like to tell us about your biggest challenge when traveling for business, then I might just craft an ADD-friendly business travel tip with you in mind!

And in the meantime, jump over to my main blog, Experiencing ADDvantages, for some March mADDness giveaways!

 

ADD-friendly Business Travel Tip #1: Coming & Going

One of the most stressful things about business travel is an intense schedule. Business travel is hectic to begin with, and it can be incredibly overwhelming for adults with ADD.

You fly in, get to where you need to be, and are expected to be alert, focused, and ready to work. Then you spend a few days getting up early, possibly adhering to someone else's schedule, and often spend your evenings socializing or networking. Before you know it, you're leaving. Even when it's enjoyable, travel is still stressful.

So here's my first travel tip for adults with ADD: Arrive at your destination a day early and leave a day late.

If you can't arrive early and leave late, then try to do either/or. Padding your schedule with some down time allows you to adjust to the change of structure without getting too stressed.

By the way, I'd still like to know, what is your biggest ADD challenge when traveling for business?

Business, Travel & ADD

In May I'll be attending the ACO conference for ADD coaches. My friend and fellow MasterMinder, Sandra DeFreitas, will be presenting on online marketing for coaches.

Last week Sandra popped me an email and asked if I knew which day I'd be flying in for the conference. I laughed and sent her an email with 5 lines of "hahahahahahaha" typed out.

"Sandra," I told her. "I barely know what I'm doing in March, let alone May!"

I will no doubt register for the conference and make my arrangements at some point next month, but only because that's when the Early Bird Discount expires. :-) Making arrangements a full 3 months in advance (at least when I'm not speaking at the event) just ain't gonna happen!

Shortly thereafter, I got an email from another fellow MasterMinder who is working on our November MasterMind meeting. He wanted to know when we would be arriving for the meeting and when we would be leaving so he could secure our hotel reservations.

November! That's 9 months away! What are these non-ADDers trying to do to me? You could complete a pregnancy in 9 months! It's just way to much lead time for me!

This got me thinking about travel and the ADD business owner. I think it may be worth exploring business travel topics on this blog. Let's begin with travel arrangements:

• How far in advance do you make your travel plans?
• Do you make them yourself, or delegate the details to someone else?

And this also begs the question: What is your biggest challenge when traveling for business?

Please share your answers to these questions in the comments! I'm looking forward to exploring this topic and would love to hear your thoughts!