It all started with my elevator pitch….

Posted on by Regine Albrecht

In December of last year, I finally admitted to myself that my elevator pitch was, to say the least, not up to par. I had participated in quite a few networking events and “gave” my elevator pitch, but I never heard the magic words “That sounds interesting, tell me more.” Instead, I had the feeling that people were only listening because they wanted to be polite. There is nothing wrong with being polite, but… it doesn’t help you build and grow your business.

So, I got to work. I read about elevator pitches and “best practices, talked with other entrepreneurs and wrote a blog. To hold myself accountable, I said I would share my elevator pitch when it is done. Here it is:

Hello, I’m Regine.

I give entrepreneurs clarity of what is truly important in their business. This covers the whole spectrum from strategizing to mentoring. I draw from techniques and values that are rooted in Taekwondo which is why I call my business Coaching with a Kick.

The picture below shows me in a workshop for… you guessed it, creating my elevator pitch. 

Regine working on her elevator pitch in a workshop

As it turns out, working on my elevator pitch didn’t just lead to my elevator pitch but marked the beginning of a major change in my business. I realized that my website and social media presence were due for an extensive makeover. As you may know, making the decision is one thing, getting it done quite another.

But as always in business as well as in life, every journey and every project starts with the first step. Mine was the conversation with a friend who happens to be a logo and website designer. To cut a long story short, I hired Christie, and she came up with a beautiful logo. Drum-roll and curtain please. I’m proud to present….

The new logo of Coaching with a Kick

Starting with a logo is not the most obvious place to start, but it turned out to be the perfect start for me. It literally kicked me into gear and got my creative juices flowing. There will soon be a “Coaching with a Kick” Facebook page and, but that will take a bit longer, a new website. Stay tuned, I’ll share updates in my blog, and post on Facebook and LinkedIn. `

See you in two weeks!
Regine

Making Better Decisions

Posted on by Regine Albrecht

… and what habits have to do with it

Signs: over here – no, this way

I came across the video “3 simple tips of making better decisions” (3:31 min) by the BBC, and it tickled my interest. Human beings constantly have to make decisions. In a research done at Cornell University in 2018 it was estimated that on average an adult will make approximately 35,000 remotely conscious decisions each day. That’s a lot.

Of course, not all of these decisions have the same weight or impact on our lives, in fact, we make most of them unconsciously. And that’s good, because if we would think about each one, we would suffer analysis paralysis and would be totally overwhelmed.  

So far so good. But if we consider that, according to Dr. Modgil, all decisions, big or small, require the same amount of brain energy, then it doesn’t really matter if we make a big or small decision. It is far more important when we make a decision. How could we ensure that we have enough energy for the ones that are really important? How do presidents, CEOs, or doctors, who constantly have to make decisions, have or preserve energy to make (mostly) good ones? And more importantly, what could we as entrepreneurs learn from them to improve and get better at decision making? After all, our livelihood may depend on it.

The answer is surprisingly simple. Some of the most successful or creative people just don’t bother with small decisions. They create habits instead, eliminating as many small decisions from their days as possible. I‘m referring to decisions such as what to have for breakfast, what to wear, how to start the day, or what to do first after arriving at the office. By creating these habits they eliminate energy sucking decisions, energy that would be far better used for more important questions or problems.

I’m not sure if this was his intent, but take Steve Jobs for example. He would only wear black turtlenecks and jeans, every single day. When he stood in front of his closet there wasn’t anything he had to think about. He just grabbed any turtleneck and any pair of jeans, done. This is a little bit too extreme for my taste. But there are other options to remove this decision from your morning. One option would be putting your clothes out the night before. Or maybe deciding what to wear for a whole week. If you’re traveling you do it as well.

Or consider a “morning routine.” As the word suggests, it refers to activities in the morning that you repeat every day preserving brain energy for other decisions later in the day. Depending on your personal schedule and lifestyle you design your morning routine based on what is important to you and what you would like to gain from it. The book “The Miracle Morning” by Hal Elrod and Cameron Herold provides a lot of examples of routines successful people created for themselves to guide their days in order to meet their professional and personal goals.

Creating habits is only one of the three aspects mentioned in this video, but surely worth giving it some extra thought considering it may have a positive impact on our businesses and our lives.

As a side-bonus, it also gives some structure to your day and, based on my own experience, a morning routine guarantees a good start into the day. But you don’t have to stop here. Take a moment and look at your day and your work. What else could you either simplify, delegate or altogether eliminate? What is eating precious brain energy that would be much better used for more pressing or more important questions or challenges? Give it some thought.

Also, consider the time of day when you make big decisions. For me the saying “You should sleep on it” just got a completely new meaning. Give your brain the time to work on your question overnight and recharge. I’m sure it won’t be the first time that you find a brilliant solution while standing in the shower.

See you in two weeks,
Regine