Rethink Central

Mastermind Coach, entrepreneur, location-independent traveller, cake connoiseur. Mmmmm Cake.

[lizscully]

Peonies in a lurid colour. They really were show stoppingly bright. Competing, as you can see, with the gerbers bottom right. Gosh I love flower stalls. They're exuberance is a big part of why they always make my joy list. Just seeing this outrageous set of colours makes me smile The joy list is a simple task I set many of my clients when they start coaching or Masterminding with me. It not only helps clients who are unsure of the direction of their career or business, it's a great reminder for all of us. it's a simple thing - what brings you pure joy into your life? Make a list and do those things often. Simple and so effective - couple of quick vids on the subject here - www.rethinkcentral.com/joy Check it out and tell me what you think (at Angel, London)

[lizscully]

Blue enamel table, dappled summer light through the leaves. <not shown> Fabulous client meeting, with shrieking liz and client plotting world domination over tea and cake. #color #blue #light #nofilter #startup #Mastermind #inspiration #digitalNomad #workFromAnywhere #LocationIndependent #beautyIsEverywhere #lifeIsGood

[lizscully]

Gorgeous to be back in NYC and looking at the shiny buildings. This one with all the fancy fin de siecle twiddly bits always takes my eye in midtown just a few blocks from the park. Isn't it rather lovely? Has a definite look of Chicago about it to my reasonably untrained eye. Gorgeous though, eh? #architecture #architecturelovers #lookup #building #balcony #bluesky #digitalnomad #locationindependent #travellerInNYC #workfromanywhere #nyc (at Manhattan, New York)

[lizscully]

I have a great love of pattern. I seem to spend a lot of time photographing the floor. And I always have. I remember showing my photos from my first round the world trip to someone decades ago and there was a long pause and they finally said - why are there no people Liz? Why am I looking at pictures of gravel and tree bark and leaves? Frankly, it's little wonder I ended up working in 3d. Mind you this was years before that, when I was still a jeweller. So maybe the love of surface is bone deep. Anyway, I'm thinking of setting up an instagram just of patterns and my joy of floor textures. What say you, shall I do it? #patternIsEverywhere #Entrepreneur #startup #Mastermind #inspiration #digitalNomad #workFromAnywhere #LocationIndependent #beautyIsEverywhere #lifeIsGood #minimal_lookdown #minimal (at Balham station)

[lizscully]

While today has been a holiday for many people in the US - for little old me, it's been an intensely productive planning day. I've been reviewing my 90 day goals and considering my next launch (even though that's not for months and months). The way to get the jump on your schedule is to be aware what's coming down the pipe and plan waaay ahead. This kind of work, when combined with goals and projections means that you can manage your time and energy more sensibly. Without it, it's easy to fill every working moment and have no time to get on top of the work - only quietly drown in it: this is a lesson I learned slowly over years of film work. One of the first items I see on my calendar every Monday is 'delete five things from your to schedule this week'. And I find it so helpful. Not only do I stop myself and my team from getting overwhelmed by moving things around so there's more space. I also help clients get better service. Never be afraid of rescheduling to give more space. Though that said, don't be foolish and mess your clients around with endless rescheduling. But to give clients more time is wise in the extreme. And that's why I put a massive moon sticker on my date planner - remind myself that I work in cycles and that I can't go full out all the time. And neither can my clients. Go at their pace, give time for change to happen and you'll get much better results #Entrepreneur #startup #Mastermind #inspiration #digitalNomad #workFromAnywhere #LocationIndependent #planning #scheduling #Notebooks #ceo #lifeIsGood (at Williamsburg NYC)

[lizscully]

And having been inspired by the real thing, I flipped through a colouring book I got for research (should Rethink do a colouring book - should it be all cake?) Anyway - here was the artichoke I'd just seen... and a happy half hour ensued. #doodle #coloring #drawing #Entrepreneur #startup #Mastermind #inspiration #digitalNomad #workFromAnywhere #LocationIndependent #beautyIsEverywhere #lifeIsGood

[lizscully]

Veg. I love it Love to look at it. Love to eat it. Love to photograph it. Love to draw it. look at these beauties in the local market #artichoke #Entrepreneur #startup #Mastermind #inspiration #digitalNomad #workFromAnywhere #LocationIndependent #beautyIsEverywhere #lifeIsGood (at Covent Garden, London, UK)

[lizscully]

I miss India. I found this pic today - from that time I looked up from my desk and saw a herd of goats in the field next door. And I lived in Bangalore. One of the biggest, most sprawling cities I've ever experienced (much bigger than NYC, Istanbul and vastly more spread out than London). And there they were - feet from where I worked... just munching through the felled pepper trees. Sigh, you don't get that in South London or East Williamsburg (though I bet there's a hipster somewhere drawing up an 'urban goat enclosure' plan right this minute) #goatsAreEverywhere #india #Entrepreneur #startup #Mastermind #inspiration #digitalNomad #workFromAnywhere #LocationIndependent #beautyIsEverywhere #lifeIsGood (at Whitefield, Karnataka, India)

[lizscully]

If you build it they will come. Well usually, in business this is simply not true. You have to advertise, tell people you exist, show them why they want your service, why they'll need it. It's the hard part - simply creating something and hoping people storm the doors just isn't going to cut it. And that's why I tell people who are just starting out with Masterminds, that building a long and complex sales funnel is not the way to fill your first groups. No - the way to do that is to write a list of 20 people who might want your service. People who trust you and like you and know that you're a solid bet. And invite them to join the Mastermind. Give them a great deal as it's your first one... and odds are they'll say yes. Or four of them will - and that's all you need for your first Mastermind. Four people. That are willing to pay you something (so they're committed as well) and then you're off and running. You're learning, they're getting a great experience (or they are if you're properly trained and prepared) and when it's over, you can ask for feedback on what could be better and a Testimonial for your website. Some of them will stay with you - some of them will refer other people - some of them will let you know what could be better next time. You've helped people, you've learned and now you're a 'proper' Mastermind coach as your first group is done and dusted. Result. #MastermindAtTheMovies #MastermindMashUp #Entrepreneur #startup #Mastermind #inspiration #digitalNomad #workFromAnywhere #LocationIndependent #beautyIsEverywhere #lifeIsGood

[lizscully]

Working on the next 90 day plan - projecting is the key to looking at the 'shape' of your business. For goals you work backwards: Work out your big goals - where do you want to be? Then work backwards from there breaking it up so you achieve what you want. To get there in 90 days, I need to be here in 60 days, and here in 30 days and so need to do this specific thing today. For projecting, you work the other way. Looking at what's already planned and set - and seeing how that will work out. If I do this and bring in this much money, then I can invest this much into the business here and so boost this area and allow this growth here. I work in both directions and so have a good plan of both where my stretch is and what's realistic at the moment. I can see what will happen if I do well in one area and how it will pan out if that's not as strong as expected. This two pronged approach is stunningly useful. And for some reason is not taught as an 'easy' thing. It should be as a small amount of projecting and goal work will reap huge results. Spend an hour with your notepad and you'll be so much more prepared and focused for the coming months. #getItDone #Entrepreneur #startup #Mastermind #inspiration #digitalNomad #workFromAnywhere #LocationIndependent #beautyIsEverywhere #lifeIsGood

[lizscully]

This was taken last year on the Highline with my lovely friend and client Adam. Check those huge smiles - that's what hanging out in NYC and talking business (with a side order of quiet world domination) can do. Check out Adam's great podcast Subtle disruptors here - http://subtledisruptors.com As for me, I'll be on the Highline at the weekend, and cannot wait to be talking big and freckling up with more lovely clients. #loveYourClients #Entrepreneur #startup #Mastermind #inspiration #digitalNomad #workFromAnywhere #LocationIndependent #beautyIsEverywhere #lifeIsGood (at Highline Park)

[lizscully]

More of that great packaging design from @simplygum This one was definitely my favourite design - the photography was beautiful and even more than the other box stylings it really stood off the box And it looked amaze balls on the shelf. Not that I actually bought any - I'm not a fan of gum. but, Man, it looked good #nyc #branding #packaging #visualIdentity #business #locationindependent #locationindependence #digitalnomad #workFromAnywhere #travellerInNyc #beautyIsEverywhere (at Whole Foods Market - Upper West Side NYC)

[lizscully]

I always aim to have flowers near me when I work as they bring me such simple joy. Look at these beautiful white roses and gorgeous gerbers. How could your heart not be lifted by such loveliness? Red gerbers are my favourite colour of these upbeat flowers. I find I cant be sad near a gerber, they always make me smile. And they seem so ludicrously enthusiastic about everything. How could that not transmit to me and so to my clients? What we bring into a coaching session is the energy we work with. So happy enthusiastic me, means the business strategy and Mastermind knowledge I share will be received more easily Win all round! #rose #gerbers #flowers #joy #Entrepreneur #startup #Mastermind #inspiration #digitalNomad #workFromAnywhere #LocationIndependent #beautyIsEverywhere #lifeIsGood

[lizscully]

I had the utter pleasure to do a photography workshop with the talented and lovely (and as you can see very small) @emilyquinton over the weekend. She's a fabulous photographer a whizz at instagram, and a lover of flowers in all their seasonal delicate joy. We learned, we laughed, we played with spoons buttons (more on that over the coming months in my own feed). If you get a chance to do one of her workshops rush on over to her beautiful light filled studio in South London. And if that's not on your agenda geographically, go to her lovely www.makelight.com and do one of her online courses. Your instagram and social media following will thank you. Really it's such a delight to feed your creativity and I've found other areas of my working life helped by doing more art things that feed my curiosity. Get creative in one area and you'll find it flows in others. I've been writing rather fine copy all weekend having had close contact with pretty things on Saturday. Go, make beautiful pictures. In other news - apparently I can simply NOT take a selfie without pulling a ridiculous face. Ah well. At least it's not false advertising! #photography #joy #Entrepreneur #startup #Mastermind #inspiration #digitalNomad #workFromAnywhere #LocationIndependent #beautyIsEverywhere #lifeIsGood (at West Norwood Park)

[lizscully]

This week in Mastering Mastermind we talked about the tricky issue of how to deal with difficult clients. Head on is always the way. No matter how much your heart sinks - it is important to rip the bandaid off as quickly as possible and sort things out. We discussed how to fire clients, how to speed up the ramblers and how to keep the whole ship moving for everyone in the group. #MastermindAtTheMovies #MastermindMashUp #mashup #Entrepreneur #CEO #entrepreneur #entrepreneurship #business #fun #Mastermind #Masterminding #quote #quoteOfTheDay #instaquote #quotesOfTheDay #inspiration #filmQuote #film #startUp #bond #bondJamesBond #007 #Connery

[lizscully]

I've been considering going back to Amsterdam for a chunk of time the last few days. I loved staying in a house built in 1605. I did not love the noise (sound proofing was not a priority at that point). But I did love the lovely street I lived in and the fact that as I put my shoes on to go out... I got glimpses of my neighbours equally early 17th century homes Man, I am lucky to have been so many amazing places. #lifeIsGood Truly #workFromAnywhere #digitalNomad #LocationIndependent #ceo #startup #architecture #architecturelovers #window #building #business #Mastermind #Masterminding #inspiration #coaching #training #change #digitalNomad #coaching #beautyIsEverywhere #travellerInAmsterdam

[lizscully]

The water feature in the Barbican. Considered by many an eye-sore. By many as ridiculously expensive, particularly as sold off council homes. But on a sunny day, the water, the ducks the uniform colours in the planters... it still makes my heart sing. I've seen art, dance, hell even ducks, here for over three decades and have learned to find my way through it's confusing entrances (though only if I go in the way I expect. ask me to find my way from a different side and I'm as lost as everyone else). I saw a fabulous photography exhibition on how the foreigners see this country a few weeks back (sadly now closed). It reminded me of standing here as an art student and my pal saying: A thousand years from now, they'll dig this up and discover that big cylindrical water fall and just think it was an open sewer. She was right I think. And 30 years back it certainly wasn't beloved... but I think it's aged with grace. Carry on Barbican! With your low ceilings and your mix of council and banking residents. I for one, salute your valiant attempt at doing it all #Barbican #modernism #concrete #lighting #chiaroscuro #water #urbanLiving #workFromAnywhere #digitalNomad #LocationIndependent #ceo #startup #architecture #architecturelovers #window #building #business #Mastermind #Masterminding #inspiration #coaching #training #change #digitalNomad #coaching #beautyIsEverywhere #travellerInLondon (at Barbican Centre)