Do I really need a creative strategy or can I just see what happens?

In my twenties, out of college, I had a philosophy.  "Take life as it comes, look for the positive, and go with your gut."  It seemed to work in business and I was able to make some traction adding clients, regions, and new revenue streams for companies.  I actually got a little bit of an ego as I became known as the door opener.  The problem was that I would open up just about any door that came my way regardless of whether or not I believed in their product or thought their company was strong and had merit.  I often found myself in precarious situations in business dealing with people and issues that weren't always the most positive and I would shake my head and wonder what I had done to deserve such clients. 

Flash forward ten years or so without giving up my exact age and I sit here smiling at my younger self.  If you sit down stream in any old spot in the river anything might pass you by.  You have choices and you can move from your spot at any given time. There are no rules as to how you make your choices and how you set your standards.  In my twenties if my boss asked me to pick up another trade show for a fellow employee I would automatically say yes even if I had just gotten home the day before, my pipeline was full of clients, and I was swamped with incoming/outgoing calls.  It never crossed my mind that I could actually say no to my boss.  So off I went packed and ready for another NACA show, sleep deprived, cranky, and stressed from not being caught up with clients. 

If amazing opportunities exist in times when you let "what may come your way" be your strategy imagine the possibilities and opportunities you will run into if you actually creative an effective strategy and position yourself and business where you want to be in a  global market.  What if you made the decision consciously that you were only going to work with clients and prospects who fit a certain criteria?  What if once you determined your targeted demographic you did some research and uncovered which region of the country most of those individuals or business resided in, and then imagine if once you had this incredibly valuable information you created a strategy that was tailored to their interests, needs, and decision making process.  Business no longer seems so much like a shot in the dark and you have just cleared away ten years of doing business with what happens to flow down the river into your lap.

As in life, synergy plays an important role in business.  If you try to shove a square peg in a round hole you may actually get it to fit and pass through but the results could be less than desirable and very messy.  If you take the time to search out the round pegs with the right diameter think of how much your level of productivity just increased.  It seems so simple and makes so much sense now as I sit here in my midland thirties nearing forty, but are you owning it?  I'm trying to and the more I create targeted strategies for TRG Northeast and also my clients the more I'm convinced that you can shorten your sales cycle, increase productivity, tighten up operations, and make yourself happy because you are working where and with who you most desire!

For me? I am exactly where I want to be, developing TRG Northeast for Tyler Ryan Group.

Really? Did I just bite off more than I can chew?

Feeling Overwhelmed?  Did you put yourself out there to the world beyond your comfort zone and now feeling as though you have no clue how to move forward?  No worries mate. It's nothing that a little time and list making can't take care of and produce the best possible results.

When you start a new chapter in life or in your business you can quickly begin feeling overwhelmed.  You are inudated with new ideas, people, places, and programs and it feels as though you will never be able to organize this new world in your mind and make sense of it.  Change naturally produces endorphins and can make even the calmest individual feel as though they now have ADD.  I'm there now with TRG Northeast.  Tyler, my partner was here for three days this week and we filled the time with client, prospect, and social meetings to make the most of his visit.  I even made him come with me to some of my "have to do in life" things just so he could get a clear picture of how my daily schedule flows with the business and being my mom.  I'm sure it was overwhelming to him to have to get ready for a client meeting with a house full of kids, neighbors stopping by, and a teenager that had to be somewhere in ten minutes.  My new business partner made me proud.  Not only did he rise to the occasion at our business meetings he was able to go with the flow with all of my "mommy duties" and unavoidable sidetrips and delays.

One of the things that I learned from working with Tyler this week is no matter where you are and what you are doing take the time to acknowledge those you have met and the possiblities that may exist in the future from working together.  Now with our addictive smartphones we can instanly plug in our new contacts, send them gratitude and thoughts of future dealings before we even hit the interstate.   We used to have to exchange biz cards, jot down some notes on the back of the card, fly home from the tradeshow, sit at our desks Monday morning and create emails or thank you cards to keep our new connections alive.  Modern Technology has simplified the process but you still have to remember to make the effort and to care about the connections you've made stepping out of the comfort zone of your office.

Where am I going with all of this?  Tyler sent me a you tube video that was a parody about biting off more than you can chew and it triggered some of my insecurities that I run into time and time again in business.  When I am out and about in the community or abroad I get an adrenaline rush from meeting new people and experiencing new places and then when I return home I feel overwhelmed by the thought of not being able to keep up with all of my new relationships and opportuniites.  I am a self proclaimed people pleaser and never want to feel as though I let anyone down.  So here I sit writing a daily blog that I haven't touched in almost a week, needing to send out some overdue proposals, having to finish up some press releases and of course wondering if I bit off more than I can chew.  NAH!! Make a damn list, take a deep breath, and know that you are doing the best that you can do.  Stay focused on your list crossing off each line one by one and at the same time stay balanced.  Accomplish a few of your tasks than get up, move away from your computer and do something for yourself that makes you happy.  Do something that screams I am being me.   Okay don't laugh but when I need to become defrazzled I take a shower.

Something about being somewhere where I can just check out for five minutes and have time to myself brings me back to a place of balance AND  I might add I've gotten some of my best ideas in the shower.

If you want - let's do a coffee meeting.

Jen Houghton
TRG Northeast
www.tylerryangroup.com
207.450.8441
Marketing! It's what we do.

A missed opportunity will come around again.

One of the biggest mistakes in business or life is to approach an opportunity as "it's now or never".  I know because I've done this over and over in the same business and with different businesses I've owned.  Call me a slow learner but it took me several experiences to learn that opportunity does come knocking again.  Sometimes it just comes a little bit early and you don't have the resources, manpower, or cash to full take advantage of the opportunity and be able to effectively manage the growth the comes with it. 

You've heard many people say "I'd like to have the problem of too much business."  Sure, it sounds sexy and the visions it brings with it are adrenaline pumping.  My favorite is the story of two men who create a widget for kids and just three months they have a national order from Walmart and its entire distribution channel.  How flippin amazing is that?  Can you picture the two men throwing the correspondance up into the air and literally dancing arm and arm in their manufacturing facility (shed behind one of their houses)? This is a prime example of their story having grown, exploded way ahead of their manufacturing capabilities.

Soon the music ends and the men stop dancing. Now they have an order for a million pieces deliverable in sixty days.  Even if they did have the cash could they source enough raw materials, manpower, and actual space to produce the Purchase Order?  Do they have enough time to have a lawyer review the 40 page document outlining the specs of the order and making sure that even with the price cutting they will in fact be able to turn out these million widgets and make a profit at the other end of the delivery date.  And for some reason they don't make the delivery date as stated in the agreement what will be the reprecussions for the two men and their fantabulous widgets they created?

OK, so you get my drift.  Opportunity will come knocking when you open your doors for business. My thought for you is that it might not be the right opportunity at the right time for your business and even more importantly don't ever worry that if you don't take advantage of the opportunity as it comes knocking that it won't be back at a better time.  Opportunities are nothing more than learning experiences unrealized. By nature their purpose is to happen and to create a new unique situation for growth and learning to occur. They will continue to circle back until they are realized or have just lost their relevance or meaning.  Either way a missed opportunity is better looked at as an extension to get your "merd" in order for the future.  Please don't misinterpret that by missing opportunity it gives you a green light to stay stagnant without growth or change.  We all know what happens to those who stay in one place too long.  It just means that sometimes you're not in the right place at the right time to take advantage of an opportunity but instead use it as a measuring stick to know what you need to do and prepare for when the opportunity swings back around.

Is it the right time?

New opportunities, experiences, and change comes flying at you everyday when you are in business. Some of these you've already experienced and good or bad you have a strong sense of whether or not to become involved again with a certain type of project or prospect.  Then every so often something comes your way that you have been hoping for. It is an experience or opportunity that you have been dreaming of doing or taking part of and you know in  your heart you just can't pass it up!


When I was in business school, my dream was to be quoted in the Wall Street Journal. Once it had happened I knew in my heart I would truly have been successful.  Funny thing is I ended up being quoted for a law signed by President Bush and how it was going to negatively impact my business.  Well so maybe our dreams don't always turn out to be what we expect but don't dismiss them so quick. Every experience is and opportunity in life for growth or to decide to stay where you are for a little bit longer.

How do you decide if it is the right time to take on a new risk?  I've always followed my gut instinct and my heart but last week in Cancun I had an experience where I had to push past what I thought my gut was telling me and I am so glad I did.  I came face to face with fear and thankfully there was someone there to literally pull me through it to the other side.  Life tends to bring you what you need exactly when you need it - just keep your eyes and mind open to the possibility.

I am a risk taker in business. I have no problem saying yes to new opportunity and prospects.  I tend to jump before I look and I have faith that everything will eventually turn out as it is supposed to be.  When Diana asked me to go to Mexico with six other women I said YES!  In my mind I pictured a long overdue break that alternated between lying poolside and by the beach. Perfect!  Then Diana came back from a Scuba Dive and literally jumped on my lounge chair and made me promise I would dive.  NO, NO, NO I told her. It didn't fit my agenda of lying, sleeping, reading, and being in a pure "lizard" state of mind in the sun.  Then something in my gut said "why not".

My experience started in the Resort pool with my instructor Daniel for a quick try to see if I liked it.  It went well and I felt okay about the experience. I would have to do it again in the pool the next day to learn more of the basics and gain a knowledge of how it would work in the open ocean.  I was joined by a brother and sister from New York who were in their early twenties.  Not that I feel old but it made me realize that if there is something in life you want to do don't keep putting it off to when you have more time or are in a better place.

After the hour long pool lesson we had a lunch break and then met back to take a taxi to the park for our dive.  I was very calm during the taxi and boat ride out to the dive site.  Cancun is beautiful and there is so much to look at in every direction.  Then the boat stopped and Daniel said we were going in the water first.  We sat on the deck at the back of the boat with our flippers, mask and tank and suddenly I started to freeze.  My body became tense and my heart began to race.  My mind began flooding with a million what ifs and suddenly my gut was screaming don't do this, don't take this risk, you don't want to go here.  Daniel motioned for me to jump into the water and I did but I had already made the decision I was going to somehow stay on the boat while the others dove.

My two new friends were already down at the bottom holding onto the guide rope and Daniel motioned to me to put the respirator in my mouth and start descending.  I couldn't move.  He handed it to me and I put it in my mouth but couldn't breathe. There was a lump of fear in my throat and no matter how deeply I took in air from my tank it wouldn't push past the fear.  I turned and started swimming back to the boat but felt a hand tugging me back.  I tried to pull away but had become weak from the fear I was experiencing.  Daniel tugged at my arm until I was facing him and he motioned for me to look at his eyes. We were floating in the water and he took a huge breath from his tank and told me to do the same as he kept looking at me. Somehow I was able to do it. One breath after another floating at the surface and without me knowing it he was slowly deflating my vest and I went under the water.  It seemed to take forever to reach the bottom and join the other two even though it was only 20 feet.  I had to keep stopping to blow air through my nose to pop my ears from the pressure.  Daniel never let go of my hand or took his eyes away from mine.  It felt like he was descending for me.

At the bottom, I had finally pushed through my fear and realized that I had just literally been guided into a brand new world that I had never experienced before by a total stranger who spoke English as a second language but had communicated with no words at all. This stranger had taken me through a major lesson of trust without saying one word to me.  He held my hand at the bottom as we swam over coral looking at fish and creatures but soon into the dive my independence took back control and left his side to swim by myself  and have the experience of being alone under the water with the sea life and current moving back and forth pushing and pulling me at the same time. My gut had told me not to  take the risk but my heart was overjoyed that someone was there to guide me through it and open up a whole new world that I would have never experienced on the boat sitting with the captain.


My advice to you whether you are wondering if it is the right time for a new opportunity in business or life, when in doubt open your eyes and look around.  If you are meant to have the experience someone or something will be there to guide you.  Don't let fear be the deciding factor as you are becoming who you were always meant to be.

We're building a company with a future not just a revenue stream.

Tyler Ryan Group is nearly ten years old and has been building its foundation one customer at a time.  Not just wanting to make the quick dollar but making sure that the right campaign was strategically placed and positioned with the clients best interest at heart.    If you build something solid that provides value and benefit than the dollar will follow!

TRG Northeast is taking the knowledge and expertise that has been growing and building for the past ten years and combining it with Jennifer Houghton's business experiences and networks built from the past 20 years in the North to make an even bigger impact up and down the East Coast.

Tyler has promised Jennifer "the sky's the limit".  Jennifer simply stated, "let's get it done".

To find out more about Tyler Ryan Group visit our website!

A change of perspective is always a good thing.

When you are building your business especially in the early stages you can get tunnel vision and begin to see things only one way, your way.  Your world becomes consumed with assets/liabilities, income/expenses, insurance/taxes, and building your brand. You start losing sleep, your thoughts spin, and your conversations are monopolized by everything about your business. You are firmly planted in the forest and all you see are the trees.

Sometimes you need to literally stand up and move yourself to a place that you've never been before and just observe.  It could be attending  a local community group that is new and where you don't know any of the people.  Sit and just observe how the individuals interact and hopefully you will be able to listen to others talking about their businesses or ventures.  There's a certain wisdom that comes from listening especially when you are in a time of extreme focus about your own situation or project.  You may hear something that will help remove an obstacle in your process or you might gain a new connection that will be able to aid you in the near future.

A new fresh perspective does a world of good for one's attitude and outlook on life and in business.  The world is always moving and us with it.  Nothing is stagnant and when you simply get up and move to a different spot your situation will look entirely different!

Free Press - it doesn't have to be painful.

Remember as a kid visiting your grandparents house and fooling around on their old fashioned typewriter? This is all relative depending on who is reading this blog but let me give you my visual.  I was the youngest of 26 grandchildren born into my mother's family.  So needless to say my grandparents were always old and had really cool things at their house.  For some reason I remember being mesmerized with two of their items: a very old typewriter like this one and their very old beagle dog.  For very long blocks of time I would hover over the keys and just look at them.  I don't think I was even old enough to type or form an entire written thought but more than anything I wanted to get my fingers on those keys.
My grandparents born in the late 19th century prescribed to the train of thought that children should be seen but never heard so visits were most often painful and terribly long.  Opportunity would present itself and they would leave the room to share this or that with my parents and I would be able to take a precious strike at the keys and more often than not I would skin my finger on the metal arm from trying to hit it so quick.  Now I can envision reporters and businessmen sitting at those keys and painstakingly typing out their message or story trying to get it perfect each and every time.

Today - writing and publishing your work is as simple as it gets and the opportunities for free press for your business or organization are endless.  Even if you're not a writer putting together a press release is nothing short of filling in a template with all of the information you are trying to share with the world about your product, service, or event.  Always send off your press releases on letterhead whether going through the mail or being sent out electronically.  Your logo should appear at the top of the release and  PRESS RELEASE in bold capital letters needs to jump out at you from the page.  Remember that your purpose is to share as many pertinent details with the publication you are contacting to give them the whole entire story and if you catch their interest they will already have the building blocks of their angle.  Put your most important data and facts in the beginning.  Give a quick summary of what you are announcing and then go into more details in the following paragraphs and finally end with a summary of what you have told them.  When you are happy with your release and ready to end it make sure you include ### on the next line centered. This is a visual clue to the editor that you are done and complete.

You don't have to be a brilliant writer to get your press releases in the news just make sure that when you send out a copy that it is actually interesting and newsworthy.  You can be creative with your headline to make it stand out in the pile of other releases hot off the press.

Don't be intimidated by the process if you've never done it before.  Don't let fear hold you back from taking advantage of  one of the best way to get your word out there to your foot soldiers.  Remember that people like to be "in the know" and you are doing the general public a service by letting them know about your product and service! It's a good thing that you are doing!

If you have any questions or need any help, give me a call!

Jennifer Houghton
TRG Northeast
www.tylerryangroup.com
207-450-8441
jennifer@tylerryangroup.com
Marketing! It's what we do.