02.16.12
Posted in Sales, customer service, getting started at 11:13 am by LeaRae Keyes, Executive Director, Nurse Entrepreneur Network
During a recent interview with Anna Morrison, BSN, RN on RN.FM Radio I had a revelations about how entrepreneurs think differently about business. I hadn’t really spent much time thinking about this prior to this interview. However, a few things were brought to my attention during the interview. My insights are listed below:
Security in starting a business – I started my business because I was concerned about the future stability of the company that employed me. To protect my future and to provide security for myself and my family I started my own business. It was pointed out during this interview that creating security is not what many nurses think they are creating when they set out to create their own business. However, I trusted myself and my determination more than I trusted my employer to look out for my future. For me it is preferable to be in control of my future than allowing someone else or some other company to control my future and my security.
Courage to venture out on one’s own – I hadn’t really thought about starting my own business as something courageous to do. To me it was more a matter of survival than an issue of courage. It was actually a bit of a surprise when it was brought up during the interview that it must have taken courage to start my own business. How you view starting a business depends a great deal on your point of view, how much you know yourself, and how much you trust yourself.
Failure is part of the process – This is something I already knew but thought it was important enough to share. Failure is part of the process. Anna Morrison and I thought of the same expression at the same time to “Fail fast and early”. As Henry Ford stated “Failure is the opportunity to begin again more intelligently.” Part of owning you own business is failing. If you aren’t failing occasionally you are not taking enough risks. It is important not to let failures prevent future actions.
Listen to your customers – It is critically important to listen to your customers and to let these conversations drive your business. I discussed a situation where I went to an insurance company with a plan to sell onsite case management. In my conversation with the case management department they were not interested in onsite case management. They were interested in an outside audit of their telephonic case managers. As a result we crafted an audit tool, I worked one day per week review charting by their telephonic case managers. I identified strengths and weaknesses and developed a training program to strengthen the areas of case management where they were the weakest. None of this would have happened if I had not listened carefully to my potential customer.
For more information on being a nurse entrepreneur go to www.nurse-entrepreneur-network.com and sign up for the complimentary weekly tips. You will also find lots of valuable information on this site about starting and growing a nurse business.
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01.20.12
Posted in Blogging, Networking at 10:34 pm by LeaRae Keyes, Executive Director, Nurse Entrepreneur Network
As a nurse entrepreneur I have learned that it is helpful to follow what other nurse entrepreneurs are doing. Watching what they are doing can serve to inspire me. Nurse entrepreneur leaders that I think any nurse entrepreneur should follow are the seven nurses listed below:
Claire Hull
www.thejerklnc.com
I met Claire Hull through the Nurse Entrepreneur Netowrk. She is a woman of endless ideas and enthusiasm. Claire works with legal nurse consultants to hlep them be successful in their businesses.
Anna Morrison
www.icoachnurses.com
Anna Morrison is a new comer on the scene as a nurse entrepreneur. However, she has entered with incredible energy and visibility. Just about everywhere I look I see Anna Morrison on the internet.
Pat Bemis
forensicsciencefornurses.com
nnba.net
Pat Bemis was one of the first nurse entrepreneurs I met. She had taken over the National nurses in Business Association. She has been very supportive of me in my efforts to help nore nurses become nurse entrepreneurs.
Donna Cardillo
www.dcardillo.com
Donna Cardillo has made a career of speaking and writing. She is the Career Guru of Nurses and has spoken extensively on Alternative Careers for Nurses. she is also known as “Dear Donna” as she writes a regualare column for Nursing Spectrum and NurseWeek Magazines.
Barbara Phillips
www.nurseprectitionerbusinessowner.com
Barbara Phillips is a nurse practitioner who shares information and resources with other nurse practitioners about the business of being a nurse practitioner. She explores the many areas of business in which nurse practitioners are involved.
Ann Johnson
www.nursingceu.com
Anne Johnson is the co-founder and CEO of Wild Iris Medical Education. This company offers online CEUs for nurses, occupational therapists, and physical therapists. Ann set out to provide education that was convenientk, affordable, and had professional credibility.
Seattle Sutton
www.seattlesutton.com
Seattle Sutton is a nurse who decided to offer a healthy eating program. She is a dietitian and a nurse. Her company makes up a combination of 3 meals per day 7 days per week which the participants pick up fresh twice weekly.
While you are following nurse entrepreneur leaders don’t forget to go and see what is happening at www.nurse-entrepreneur-network.com.
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01.15.12
Posted in Blogging, Marketing, Networking at 3:32 pm by LeaRae Keyes, Executive Director, Nurse Entrepreneur Network
One way to get noticed more by your target market and by Google is to write articles. These articles are for sites other than your own. This technique helps you draw in people who are interested in your nurse entrepreneur business that you would not typically reach by only posting on your own blog or website. When you post on other sites or blogs you also would include a link back to your own site in your resource box. It is these links that are so helpful in increasing your nurse entrepreneur business search engine ranking.
Many blog or website owners are very willing to accept guest articles. I recently wrote a guest article for Anna Morrison: http://icoachnurses.com/7-questions-nurses-leaving-bedside-nursing-stay-go. Writing a guest article for someone else’s blog or website gives them valuable content and it gives you exposure.
In addition to writing for someone you know you can write and submit to article directories. Article directories are places for you to submit one or more articles to be picked up and posted by others on their blogs or sites. This is also an exceptional way to introduce your content to those who can benefit from what you have to offer in your nurse entrepreneur business but who haven’t found you yet. You will also get valuable links when someone picks up and posts your article that they found on an article directory.
Writing an article as a guest or submitting it to an article directory allows people who are not in your direct network to experience you and your content. It is also a legitimate way to get links back to your nurse entrepreneur business site and your content. Search engines will value these types of links far greater than links from link exchanges. Links from sites that are not consistent with your content are not valued and often devalued by search engines such as Google.
If you haven’t started writing articles to promote your nurse entrepreneur products or services now would be a great time to start!
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03.02.11
Posted in Uncategorized at 12:19 am by LeaRae Keyes, Executive Director, Nurse Entrepreneur Network
One of the joys of being a nurse entrepreneur is being able to set one’s own schedule. This doesn’t mean that you will be working fewer hours. However, you do enjoy the luxury of having the freedom to decide when it is best for you to work and when you should be taking time off. This luxury also allows you to put your family first and your job second. Wouldn’t you like to enjoy being able to control your work hours, work schedule, and to set your priorities based on your values.
It is also important to develop a nurse business or a part of your business that involves offering information products. Why would I think this is so important? Because it takes your freedom a step further. It allows to work from where ever you are as long as you have access to the internet or whatever resources you are using to sell information products. This is in addition to information products producing an income even when you aren’t working. You can receive income from information products when you are sleeping, on vacation, or at other times when you are not actively working.
Start now to think about how you can sell information product(s) as a part or all of your nurse entrepreneur business!
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01.11.11
Posted in getting started at 2:11 pm by LeaRae Keyes, Executive Director, Nurse Entrepreneur Network
Today is 1/11/11 (as it is written in the US). It is declared to be a day of new beginnings.
If you have been thinking about starting a nurse entrepreneur business but have not gotten around to it today would be the perfect day to revisit that plan. What step could you take today or the day you are reading this that would move you closer to your goal of being a nurse entrepreneur (Nursepreneur)?
Business and life coaches often have you start with the end in mind. What would your day look like if you were a nurse entrepreneur and having a perfect day? What actions would you need to take to be one step closer to having that ideal day? It may seem as though that ideal day is a long way off. However, it will not get any closer if you do not take action. There is an age old question that asks: “How do you eat an elephant? One bit at a time”. This is true for your business idea also. First you have to have an idea, then a plan, and then work that plan.
I would not be sitting here in my travel trailer in the dessert on BLM (Bureau of Land Management) land if I had not decided almost 10 years ago that I wanted a nurse entrepreneur business that was not tied to being in a certain location in order to be able to work. While what I wanted didn’t happen overnight it did eventually happen. I am so thankful that I began to take action when I did or I wouldn’t be where I am today.
Even you have a business and you aren’t where you would like to be with your business try something new. Try a new marketing technique, try a different target market, or find something else new to try. Very few if any entrepreneurs go from beginning to end without a few missteps. Actually if you haven’t had a few missteps you probably aren’t taking enough risks or trying enough new ideas. Be BOLD! Just because no one else has ever done it doesn’t mean that your idea won’t work. Because no one else has done it might be the exact reason it does work!
Get started with you first step to your new business today or take the next step that is needed to grow your business even bigger. Don’t forget to have fun along the way!
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01.03.11
Posted in Blogging, getting started at 2:54 pm by LeaRae Keyes, Executive Director, Nurse Entrepreneur Network
I am sitting in a travel trailer in the dessert near Yuma, AZ as I write this. I am excited that we made the decision in 2010 to buy a travel trailer. We picked up the travel trailer in California in early December 2010. I have such a feeling of freedom to be able to work from whereever we are now that we have a mobile satallite set up. To me this is what being a nurse entrepreneur or nursepreneur is all about. I love being able to work where I want and when I want. It isn’t that as a nurse entrepreneur I don’t have to work or that I don’t have to work many hours, but I am in control or where and when that will be. Wouldn’t you like that also?
I am especially excited to be out of Minnesota for the winter since they have already gotten over 30 inches of snow which is not usual for Minnesota. Yes, it does snow but generally not so early and so much!
We are planning to be camped in the dessert on Bureau of Land Management land at least through the month of January. This is an absolutely beautiful place and typically the weather is very mild here. It has been cold here this week but that is a relative term since we are from Minnesota. It has been in the 30s when we get up in the morning and has been warming into the 50s or 60s during the day. How can one complain about that?
If you are not already a nurse entrepreneur when will YOU start?
LeaRae Keyes, RN
Executive Director
www.nurse-entrepreneur-network.com
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Posted in Blogging at 2:34 pm by LeaRae Keyes, Executive Director, Nurse Entrepreneur Network
I’ve decided I want to blog more. Rather than just thinking about doing it, I’m starting right now. I will be posting on this blog once once a week for all of 2011.
I know it won’t be easy, but it might be fun, inspiring, awesome and wonderful. Therefore I’m promising to make use of The DailyPost, and the community of other bloggers with similiar goals, to help me along the way, including asking for help when I need it and encouraging others when I can.
If you already read my blog, I hope you’ll encourage me with comments and likes, and good will along the way.
Signed,
LeaRae Keyes, RN
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11.09.10
Posted in getting started, home office at 1:52 pm by LeaRae Keyes, Executive Director, Nurse Entrepreneur Network
You should not become a nurse entrepreneur if you don’t have certain characterizes that are shared by successful entrepreneurs. If you don’t have all the characteristics you will have to be willing to develop these characterizes.
Be a self-starter. If you need someone to set your schedule or tell you the next step you will not be able to be successful as a nurse entrepreneur. You need to be able to determine how you can best use your time at any given time during the day. You will be continually reassessing your priorities and deciding what is the most important thing you can do at that moment to advance your business.
Be focused. Many nurse entrepreneurs find themselves going from one activity to another frequently throughout the day, week, or month. You need to stick with an activity long enough for it to be successful. Too many nurse entrepreneurs stop just short of being successful because they didn’t stick with a plan, activity, or goal long enough.
Create a plan. You need to plan everything! Having everything planned will help you with most of the other important characterizes of being a nurse entrepreneur. You plan will assist you to remember where you left off and to get started again without losing momentum. It will also help you capture your goals for your nurse entrepreneur business and identify the action steps needed to become successful.
Be flexible. While it is important to be focused it is equally important to be flexible in your nurse entrepreneur business. When you are flexible you are better able to adapt to the needs of your customer. This is one of the greatest benefits to your customers in working with a small business. You can implement change much more quickly than large corporations so capitalize on this!
These are characteristics that will help you to be successful as a nurse entrepreneur. Work on these skills or determine how you will overcome the lack of these skills before you start your nurse entrepreneur business.
What other characteristics do you think are important to have a successful business?
LeaRae Keyes, RN
www.nurse-entrepreneur-network.com
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08.10.10
Posted in customer service, getting started at 11:37 pm by LeaRae Keyes, Executive Director, Nurse Entrepreneur Network
In the news today was a story about a Jet Blue flight attendant who became angry with a couple of passengers on the flight. He deployed the emergency slide and departed the air plane. It was reported that he had just had enough and couldn’t take anymore.
This made me think about all the stress that nurses have to put up with. Hospital nursing seems to become more and more stressful with each day. Some of the stresses include very demanding patient loads, having sicker and sicker patients, dealing with the issue of hospital based infections such as MRSA and C Dif, inconsiderate physicians, hospital politics, rotating shifts, ….
Is it any wonder that nurses are exploring and enjoying being nurse entrepreneurs? Being self employed provides a rewarding and much less stressful option for nurses. Nurse entrepreneurs are able to determine their work load, decide who they are willing to work with, a bit more removed from direct contact with hospital borne infections, determine their own working hours, and much more. The ability to have greater control is one of the reasons that nurses are generally happier as nurse entrepreneurs.
There are some many options for a nurse interested in being an entrepreneur that it would seem that any nurse wanting to be an entrepreneur could find an enjoyable option. The options for nurses wanting to be nurse entrepreneurs includes legal nurse consulting, case management, care management, health coaching, wound care, educator, patient advocate, forensic nurse and much more. If you are unhappy with your current nursing job consider being a nurse entrepreneur.
LeaRae Keyes, RN
www.Nurse-Entrepreneur-Network.com
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07.06.10
Posted in Increase profits, Sales, customer service, getting started at 8:53 pm by LeaRae Keyes, Executive Director, Nurse Entrepreneur Network
What could the tragic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico possibly have to do with nurse entrepreneurs? There are lessons to be learned from BP for anyone who is in business including nurse entrepreneurs.
One of the first lessons that can be learned is not to overpromise and under deliver! BP has consistently over estimated and over promised in its efforts to contain the oil spread which has now reached every state in the Gulf of Mexico. It is vitally important that you are able to keep promises you make and deliver on time.
Next came the blame game. Everyone is pointing fingers at everyone else. What is critically important early on in a crisis is to solve the crisis. There will be plenty of time for finger pointing and assigning blame later if this is really necessary as may be the case in determining who should pay what costs. However, the first thing that needs to be done by every nurse entrepreneur is to fix to problem rather than assigning blame.
Finally is the lesson of risk. Risk looms over the horizon for every nurse entrepreneur. Know your risks and plan for them accordingly. Have a disaster plan in case the worst case scenario does happen. Determine you plan ahead of the disaster not after the disaster has occurred and you are trying to figure out a solution. Have a disaster plan in place before you take the step to put yourself at risk. Perhaps it is a stop loss measure, or back up assistance to be called on, or a triage plan, whatever is needed have your plan in place.
By learning from BP’s mistakes and failures you can make your company less vulnerable and more resilient. You can put yourself and your company in an excellent position by avoiding the mistakes made by BP.
LeaRae Keyes, RN
www.nurse-entrepreneur-network.com
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12.13.09
Posted in Blogging, getting started at 12:22 am by LeaRae Keyes, Executive Director, Nurse Entrepreneur Network
We have decided on department and category titles for the Family Caregiver Assistance website. This will affect where the information will appear on the website. It also affects the site map and how subscribers of the Family Caregiver Assistance website will find the information they are seeking.
I have been working on writing one article per day for the new site. These articles contain beneficial information for family caregivers. I will continue to work on writing one article per day.
We have also set up the forum on FCA (www.familycargiverassistance.com). I have written the welcome message for the forum. We have also set up the blog on FCA. Continuing information on my actions to set up this new site will be posted on the blog on that site.
I visited my dad in Arizonia for about a week. I got back this Thursday night after the snow storm in the Minneapolis, MN area. Visiting my dad gave me ideas on more material for the FCA site. Living in MN and being a long distance caregiver for my mom and now my dad results in my being keenly aware of long distance caregiving.
LeaRae Keyes, RN
www.nurse-entrepreneur-network.com
www.familycaregiverassistance.com
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12.03.09
Posted in Blogging, getting started at 10:39 pm by LeaRae Keyes, Executive Director, Nurse Entrepreneur Network
We received another revision of the web site design today and it was uploaded to the site today. That seemed like a big step! We asked for a few more tweaks of the photos. We are getting really close.
Now we need to get working on some of the catagory titles and the content for the various catagories. I also want to continue to write more articles before the site is actually “launched”. I will need to be very busy writing vetween now and the end of the year.
LeaRae Keyes, RN
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12.02.09
Posted in Blogging, getting started at 9:10 pm by LeaRae Keyes, Executive Director, Nurse Entrepreneur Network
Today we reviewed the latest changes to the web site design. We requested changes to the look and size of some of the type. We also developed a tag line and asked to have it added to the site.
I also spent time on the Nurse Entrepreneur Network website. I wrote a tip, article, downloadable worksheet for collecting overdue invoices, and created and posted a new survey.
LeaRae Keyes, RN
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12.01.09
Posted in Uncategorized at 10:24 am by LeaRae Keyes, Executive Director, Nurse Entrepreneur Network
Over Thanksgiving I added another page to www.familycaregiverassistance.com. I also created a draft of the “give away” item when family caregivers join the site.
We received the intial draft of the web web design. We recommended a number a changes including moving the tag line, minor changes to the logo, cropping the pictures for the site differently than wa sproposed, some color changes, and larger lettering.
Creating a web site reminds me of building a house. There are many decisions that need to be made in a short amount of time. It is hard to anticipate the decisions until one sees a draft of the site and then there are features that just do not seem to go togetehr well.
I will keep you posted as I move through this process,
LeaRae Keyes, RN
www.nurse-entrepreneur-network.com and
www.familycaregiverassistance.com
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11.22.09
Posted in Blogging, getting started at 1:20 pm by LeaRae Keyes, Executive Director, Nurse Entrepreneur Network
I am still waiting for a draft of the new website. Right now it is the standard, basic Membergate page.
However, since Google has been coming to the page and searching it I think it is time to begin to post new material. I posted an article on “The Perils of the Handoff”. This is the time when care of your family member shift from one care team to another. This occurs at change of shift, when transitioning between facilities, at the time of surgery, and at other times along the care continuum of your family member.
It is important to keep search engines coming to your site and searching for new information. If they do not find new information they will begin to come to your site less and less often. This results in a lower ranking with people search for your key words and affects traffic to your site. Therefore it is critical to add new information to your site on a frequent basis.
Today I will be working on new content that I can add to the site later today or tomorrow. I have been told on webinars that I have attended that it is important for your new content to be at least 240 words. So, I will be seeking a topic for which I can write at least 240 words.
Are there other things that you know to be important when adding content? If so, I would love to hear your comments. I would even enjoy comments as to if you are finding these blog entries to be helpful.
LeaRae Keyes, RN
Executive Director
www.nurse-entrepreneur-network.com
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