One day Becky Strafford just hit rock bottom. Leading up to that day she was constantly busy, so busy that she would go on to another task before finishing the first one but just ended up not completing anything! To prevent herself from falling back into the same cycle, she created systems, processes, and goals for herself to follow in order to complete stuff on time and now teaches other entreprenuers what she has learned herself – how to make the most of their time. Read our interview with the lovely Becky below…
What motivated and inspired you to start your own business?
I’m fortunate as I had a brilliant childhood. My mum was a stay at home mum until my younger sister went to secondary school at which point she went back to work part-time. And purely so she could fund me, my brother and my sister through university. My dad worked hard and away from home, for days or weeks on end. During my teenage years he lived in France and we lived in England. He would come home during the weekends and the occasional Wednesday evening. But we got to spend the occasional weekend in Paris too. He worked bloody hard so that we could have whatever we wanted to have. A large and lovely home, fancy holidays, be driven in nice cars and have whatever hobbies we wanted. I danced three times a week, had private tennis lessons, horse riding. A proper perfect, story book, childhood. But he sacrificed time spent with us to be able to provide us with those material items.
I am now married and we have two gorgeous girls and two insane dogs. And we have recently purchased an old (16th century) school house which we are renovating. But, my husband and I work 40+ hours a week and have a 2.5 hour daily commute. Our eldest goes to school and our youngest is looked after by a nanny. We work hard so that we can have a nice home, go on fancy holidays, drive nice cars and have whatever hobbies we want. But I don’t want to sacrifice time with my children and my husband like my Dad did with us. I want to be able to provide them with everything I can and give them as much of my time as they need. Working for me, in my own business allows me the flexibility to do just this.
Tell us about your business.
I am compelled by a vision to ensure that every female entrepreneur has enough time to accomplish everything she wants to achieve. I’ve been in a place where everything was falling apart around me. I failed in every aspect of my life because I was constantly ‘too busy’ to finish anything. I always had an excuse and procrastination was my best friend. No longer. After one epic failure happened, I decided enough was enough and put in place systems and processes to ensure that I achieved rather than failed. I live and breathe these processes everyday now and if I set a goal in any aspect of my life I know I will achieve it. I am now sharing these systems and processes and helping other female entrepreneurs overcome their battle with not having enough hours in the day. We are all given the same number of hours each day, it’s how we use them that counts.
Are you currently running any promos/contests/giveaways that you would like our readers to know about?
I am running a free 5-day challenge where female entrepreneurs can improve their productivity. Specifically I will be helping you:
- Develop a simple planning habit that will ensure you wake up focused and set to achieve your daily goals;
- Understand what type of procrastinator you are and how to overcome it;
- Learn why fear is a massive productivity killer and how to fight it;
- Spend time on yourself and understand why this helps you get more done in less time; and
- Learn what your biggest time thief is and how to lock it up for good.
http://bit.ly/pathtoproductivity
Where is your business based?
I am lucky enough to be out in the English countryside. In a village called Boxford in Suffolk, in the East of England. It is a typically English village with a thriving community. It’s perfect and I feel very blessed to be able to call it home.
What were the first few steps you took to get your business up and running?
The first three things I did were…
- Hire a coach. I knew that I needed to be held accountable for every single step. I also needed someone who had gone through the steps before me, made the mistakes themselves and show me the right way. My coach is awesome and I couldn’t do this without her.
- And it is something I continue to do. I am all about a growth mindset. Continually learning and bettering myself.
- Juggling everything is difficult. Making sure I have enough time for everything I need to do both in my business and out of it is extremely important. Without my plans I wouldn’t be able to succeed.
What has been the most effective way of raising awareness of your business and getting new customers?
It’s important to let people get to know me and my story. And, why I do what I do. Then it’s about adding value, what else and how else can I offer. Collaborating with other coaches and ensuring my audience recognizes my name and associates it with productivity.
What have been your biggest challenges so far?
Fear. Self doubt. Knowing that I have the courage and confidence to do this.
How did you overcome these challenges?
Through a combination of having a coach who keeps me grounded and mindset work. Affirmations, meditation, journaling. It all helps me create the right mindset for success.
How do you keep motivated through difficult times?
Similar to the above, my coach is on hand to keep me on the straight and narrow. My mindset work keeps me balanced. And then, it comes back to why I set up my business. My family. They are all the motivation I really need!
How did you distinguish yourself from your competitors?
What distinguishes myself is that I have learnt the lessons the hard way. I have been the one who turned up with my daughter at the school gates when the school was closed. I have sent orders to the wrong customer. I have turned up late for meetings. I’ve eaten ready meals when there’s been no time to cook. I’ve been that busy, busy, busy person. And I turned it around so that I can juggle multiple roles and still be successful.
I recognize that everyone works in a different way, it’s not just about taking an off the shelf package and putting it in place. It’s about working with an individual to understand their unique struggles with time and productivity and adjusting the tools and systems to make it work for them.
What is the best advice you have received recently?
Don’t be afraid to do something just because you’re scared of what people are going to say about you. Haters will always hate. People will judge you no matter what.
What advice would you give to other entrepreneurs?
Don’t be afraid of making mistakes. Go at it full force, focus on your goals and visions. And, if you make a mistake, it’s ok to wobble, as long as you learn from it.
What is your favorite business tool or resource?
At the moment it’s Stanford University’s eCorner. It features video panels, keynotes, interviews and confessions with top entrepreneurs such as Mark Zuckerberg, Marissa Mayer and Guy Kawasaki. You can search by speaker or subject, and many videos have been edited into short segments labeled by specific topic, such as “Becoming a Better Storyteller”.
What social media outlets do you use? List them below.
Instagram @beckystrafford
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/beckystraffordcoach
Facebook Group Productive Ladies Club
Hashtags #productivitycoach #productivitygeek #femaleentrepreneur #beckystrafford
What is a good article or book you have read recently?
“Making Your Dreams Come True: Dream, Plan, Execute, Achieve” by Alexis Merritt. Sums it up perfectly!
What are you currently learning about for your business or looking for help with?
I am not technical and that side of things really stresses me out. I can do content and words but not get it up and visible. So next on my list is to learn more about websites, blogging, newsletters and how to tie it all together seamlessly.
What are your goals for the next few months and how are you striving to achieve them?
I don’t yet have a full website so that’s a major goal for me over the next few months. Plus I am looking at launching a new group program which I have some rough plans in place for. It’s exciting times for me right now.