20 Ways to Feel Happy Instantly!

Want to feel better quickly? RIGHT NOW?! 

The quickest way to change anything is to interrupt your current thought process (the handshake interrupt hypnosis techniques works in this way). Here are some ways you can do that quickly and easily. They may seem silly (some of them are just pure silliness, that's the whole point). 

1. Blast out some loud music.

Music is incredibly powerful. It can change the way you feel, literally in seconds. Find your favourite upbeat tune and blast it out as loudly as you can (in the car, at home, with earphones at work). If you are able to, have a dance too - seriously, fling yourself around the room a bit and dance as if no one is watching! Sing too - this is more than just you having a high old time, singing opens your lungs and improves your overall well being as a result. Try it - it works!

2. Find a gorgeous memory and relive it.

Find a touchstone memory, something that you use as a trigger to feel better. I have two favourite memories that I use whenever I need to instantly smile - the first is my son as a baby in total hysterics as he sat propped up on my bed whilst I made his Winnie-the-Pooh hand puppet do a silly dance. The second is a memory from when we lived in Monaco, he was in his cot for his nap and I could hear him laughing. I crept to the door and pushed it open a bit, I could see him lying in his cot chuckling away at goodness knows what, he was totally in his own world and having a lovely time, whatever he was thinking about or seeing was the most hilarious thing ever. I smile as I recall these even now. Find your own touchstone memories and use them whenever you need to.

3. Fake it!

Take a deep breath and smile, you don't need to feel happy to do this, you can feel as glum as you like, but breathe and smile anyway, the muscles moving will fool your brain and you will actually feel better as a result. Make it as genuine a smile as you can (no smirking now), add a little chuckle if you can. After all, what have you got to lose? You can frown again after if you like but I guarantee you won't feel like as much anymore.

4. Make fun of yourself.

You know that mum thing when a child is in a stinker of a mood and you start to turn into Harry Enfields 'Kevin' to emulate them? No? Oh...well try it - my son can't help but laugh when I start to have a pretend tantrum! Do this to yourself, take your current mood and exaggerate it until it becomes totally ridiculous. Turn your 'I can't do this' into a full on strop, really go for it, stamp your feet a little (even if you just imagine yourself doing all this) and finally throw yourself on the sofa in defeat. Then see yourself from afar, have your objective adult self stand over in the corner of the room watching this display of behaviour and have a little laugh at the ridiculousness of it all. Then take a deep breath, smile and relax a little.

5. Have a Penguin orgasm.

This is all about finding a little 'feel good' that interrupts you long enough to start to change the way you feel. It can be anything that works for you. Back to the Penguin orgasm though...Get a Penguin chocolate bar and a cup of tea or coffee, bite off the two diagonally opposite corners of the Penguin bar and dip one end into your hot drink. Suck the other bitten off corner of the Penguin bar until the tea or coffee comes through. Then, IMMEDIATELY turn the biscuit round (if you don't, it will fall into your drink and you will need to fish it out and look a bit silly) so that you bite into the part that has been dipped in the drink and....enjoy!!

6. Tap your Chest.

Yep, really. EFT is a technique to relieve emotional blockages and quickly change the way that you feel. There is a spot in the centre of your chest (about a palm sized length down from the middle of where your collarbone meets under your throat). If you lightly tap here with as many fingers as feels right to you, it can instantly reduce feelings of panic or worry. You can intersperse this with a downward stroking motion as well. Do this as often as you need to.

7. Repeat this mantra.

I went through a really difficult time a few years ago and a lovely lady I met told me that what had helped her was to say and to fully believe the words 'This too shall pass'. I tried it and I still use it and pass it on as advice to others even now. It's simple but its utterly true and sometimes you just need reminding that whatever is going on in your life and however you feel, it will pass, it can do nothing else, it will change, it will leave your life and/or change form, it's not forever. Remind yourself of this and repeat it like a mantra if it feels right to do so.

8. Do something unexpected.

This can take endless forms so experiment with what works for you and keep changing it (otherwise it's no longer unexpected of course!). It can be something really small as long as it stops your brain in its tracks which is the goal. Once you have stopped the thinking pattern that you are in you have the space, however small, to start doing things differently. Changing is about making things different and you can do this in a number of tiny ways to get started:

• When you go to put your coffee cup down, stop. Stop midway just before you put it down. Hold your coffee cup there and decide to do something different instead. Either put it somewhere different to where you expected to put it, or put it down and immediately do something different to what you were about to do.

• When you open a door stop. Stop and look at somewhere in the room that you never look at, look at the ceiling, at a crack in the wall, behind the door. Anywhere that you don't normally look.

• When you pick something up, look at it from a different angle to how you would normally look at it, turn it over, turn it upside down, look at it with one eye shut.

The idea is that you stop and re-start your brain. If you are in zombie mode and have no motivation this is a good way to interrupt this mode and have the space to make a different choice about how you go about your day. The point is not for the interruption to change you but for it to give you the space as a marker to remind you that you have a choice about how you feel. Follow this marker up with one of the other tips to make that  space for change into a real change for the better.

9. Watch a videos of humans being amazing.

It always makes me feel a million times better when I watch people being inspiring, loving, going the extra mile for complete strangers, anything that reminds me that human beings are extraordinary and that, being a human myself, I can be too if I just put my mind to it. Here are a couple of my favourites to get you started but search and share your own and make everyone feel better!

10. Remind yourself that you are loved.

There are always people who love and care about you, even if sometimes it might feel like there isn't, these people can even be strangers. When you feel alone or despondent you need to be reminded that others are there for you. So pick up the phone and call someone you love, you don't need to even tell them what is going on, you might just need to be reminded that they are only a phone call away. Read a letter from someone who loves you, look at a photo of someone who makes you smile, log on to an online community and tell them how you are feeling. Connecting with others is what sustains us, reminds us that we are part of something bigger and ultimately helps us to realise that there is always someone out there willing to listen and to help.

11. Play a practical joke.

Not at the expense of people who will be upset or humiliated - obviously! Sometimes though making a tit out of yourself by playing a joke can be the respite you need.  I watched a programme recently (can't remember for the life of me what it was called...if you know it tell me!) and it was a group of comedians who were all dared by the others to do silly things. They had to dance in the street and try to get someone to join in, they had to get someone in a bookshop to repeat a stupid word, all kinds of silly things. The funniest part was that they were prepared to put themselves in those embarrassing situations, it upped their adrenaline levels, made them do something out of their comfort zone and ultimately made them (and others) laugh, a lot!

12. Do a yoga pose.

There are lots of wonderful poses in Yoga that can instantly make you feel better. My favourite one is the Tree pose. Here is how to do it:

Start with your feet together, rooted to the ground, and slowly raise one foot. Rest it on your calf or thigh. Your hands Start with your feet together, rooted to the ground, and slowly raise one foot. Rest it on your calf or thigh. Your hands go from prayer position, straight up, above your shoulders. Trees sway and so will you -- but you'll get stronger with practice. Repeat on the other leg.go from prayer position, straight up, above your shoulders. Trees sway and so will you -- but you'll get stronger with practice. Repeat on the other leg.

For more information on great, quick yoga poses to try have a look at these websites:

http://womenworld.org/health/instant-energy---get-a-boost-with-this-invigorating,-10-minute-yoga-routine.aspx

http://www.halifaxcourier.co.uk/news/lifestyle/lifestyle-leisure/how-yoga-can-help-you-to-recharge-your-energy-levels-1-5531538


13. Do something naughty!

If you are like me and occasionally enjoy being a bit rebellious then this is one for you! I'm not talking about going out and robbing a bank or doing something that would be harmful to yourself or others. Don't do anything that may harm another, emotional upset too is included in this disclaimer. I just mean break the little pointless rules a little, even if they are only your own self-imposed rules! If you are not really allowed to sneak out for a break at work, just go and do it, feel really naughty and then resolve not to make a habit out of it! If you don't allow yourself chocolate on a weekday (really?) then buy yourself your favourite bar and enjoy every second of having it. This is not about feeling like you have let yourself down afterwards either so it's REALLY important that you enjoy it and have every intention of fully enjoying it. If you think you might feel terrible afterwards then don't do it, pick another thing to make yourself feel better. My favourite naughty things to do (don't judge me...) involve walking on grass I'm not allowed to walk on,  pretending I want to buy a house so I can nose around it, pretending I am a spy (I have been known to roll over the front of cars like a spy does...they do that right??) and many more silly, harmless things that make me feel like I am doing something I shouldn't for a moment and reminding myself that really, the only rules I have to keep are the moral and legal ones that keep our society safe and upstanding.

14. Achieve a goal

Achieving even the smallest of goals can make you feel hugely better about yourself and leads to more things getting done on the back of that lift to your spirit. If you have been meaning to clear out a cupboard for ages then get it done, it won't take long (unless you are talking about a walk-in wardrobe sized cupboard) and you will feel such an energetic burst of achievement afterwards that you will probably keep on going and get loads done! Try to start with something that isn't emotionally draining first - don't make that scary phone call straight off, achieve something less worrying first and then you will feel more prepared and confident when making that call.

15. Read something that inspires you.

It doesn't have to be an entire book, finding enough time to devote to feeling better by reading a whole book can be tricky. Find a quote that you like and keep it somewhere that you will come across it often, maybe in your purse or wallet, by your bed, on the bathroom mirror and read it when you need to smile or feel better. Find a poem that moves you if that's more your thing. Something short and sweet that can bring instant relief from your current state of mind.

Here is a quote that I love from the actress Emma Thompson:

'You have to let yourself drop the ball and make mistakes. If you're going to be alive, you're going to mess up, human beings do that. If you try to keep all the balls in the air it will kill something in you'.

So bloody true!!

16. Splash your face and brush your teeth.

This may not seem like your typical advice for changing your feelings but it is another method of interrupting your current thought pattern and it has the power to wipe them clean off. You are effectively telling yourself that this is a clean slate time for your emotions. Whatever you have been feeling you are now washing it away. The energy that will come from the cold water and the zing of the toothpaste is surprisingly powerful. You can do this at any time and it is very simple. Think about when you are going out in the evening after a day at work (lucky you!), you would clean your teeth and wash before going out marking the difference between the working day and the fresh start of your evening. It is the same thing of marking a point in time when things are changing.

17. Get outside!

Yes nature has power! Sunlight is a necessary ingredient for humans to be able to thrive and we just don't get the same Vitamin D intake from any alternative sources of light. The energy that is emitted from all living things can be strongest when you are in the countryside so if you can get outside in the countryside or just in a park then so much the better. Take deep breaths, move your body, sit in stillness, whatever feels right to you but it can be such a change and shift in your normal surroundings that it is enough to make you feel calmer and more aware that there is a bigger world out there that can make our own problems seem less of a burden to us.

18. Throw a plate.

Not joking. If you need to release anger or frustration quickly and change the way that you feel then find something that you don't mind breaking and then throw the thing! Of course you have to make sure that there is no one around and you should throw it somewhere that will not damage anything including yourself. A garage floor can be a good place, a patio (away from any glass) anywhere safe for you to do this exercise. Failing this you can wrap a plate in a tea towel and bash it with a hammer onto a surface that can take it (not on your best table...). This releases your feelings and allows them an outlet that doesn't harm you or others (again, you should never do this when anyone is around and flinging things at the wall in uncontrollable anger is absolutely not what I am talking about, if you feel this way please seek help from a GP).

19. Cause another to feel great.

Yes you might be in the doldrums yourself but if you make someone else feel happy or feel better there is a funny osmosis process that takes place and in return for this you feel better too. I have had times where I have felt really down and then a friend has rung needing a chat and to let off steam or have a cry, after helping them to feel better I have in turn felt better myself. The theory behind this is that it takes your mind off your own problems for a while and refocuses you in a different direction. Also by helping someone else to feel better you are telling your subconscious that you are a worthwhile person with purpose and you respond accordingly becoming that person on a grander scale than before. You can do little things for people even if they don't happen to phone at the crucial time, a friend of mine always pays the toll fee for her car and for the car behind when they go on holiday and have to pay tolls on the roads - it makes her feel wonderful. Another scheme that I heard about recently was people paying for their own coffee and also paying for another coffee for a stranger in the future, they pay into a 'suspended coffee' order which someone without the funds for a nice warm drink can claim. Read more about this here:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2301855/Charity-coffee-scheme-launches-UK-lets-drinkers-donate-lattes-need.html

20. Play!

All these tips are about playing really. They are about allowing yourself to relax enough to just remember that even though you are a full-fledged adult, you still have the right to play and have fun. It can feel really embarrassing at first so maybe do this when you are alone at first - or with a child, they LOVE it when you play. One thing I love about being a teacher is that it gives me license to be completely insanely silly sometimes all in the name of making the children smile again when the going is tough. They think it is wonderful when your serious persona drops for a while and they see that you are really quite normal underneath it all. Parents know this too, they can think of nothing better than you pretending to be a horse or a dragon for a while, when you chase them around the house with a contorted face and pretend that you are the tickle monster. Give playing a go. Watch this video too - it never fails to make me laugh!

Have fun and feel better soon. What do you do to feel happy?

Love Nova xxx

Get the Life you Want NOW!

Deciding that you want to quit the 9-5 is one thing, knowing what you are going to do next is quite another! Maybe you have an idea, maybe you have literally no idea apart from knowing that a change is necessary. That's ok, that's a good starting point!


So what is it that you want to change? 


Your working hours?
Your commute?
Your surroundings?
Your day to day activities?

Very often people can feel strongly about what they don't want anymore, about what they wish to be different, so start there. List all the things that you don't want anymore or that you wish to be different. Get mad if you want to, write down every annoying little thing that you are no longer happy with in your life.

Then, once you have exhausted the list, look back at what you have written down and try to categorise the areas of your life that these things come under.

Handy Hint - write down each of your 'don't want' points on a post-it note so that you can move them around under different headings.

You might have a few of the following headings to work under:

Work
Friendships
Family
Relationships
Money
Holidays
Home
Me Time

Some things will come under more than one heading but choose the heading that is most affected by your 'don't want'. For example, 'I don't want to have to work until 8pm every night' could come under work, family, relationships, friendships and Me Time but choose the area that is most affected by the fact that you work these hours. Work is not that affected, in fact, if you found something you really loved you might be happily and joyfully working until 8pm as long as it didn't affect your family - so family is maybe the category that is most affected.

Once you have done this, look back and see which category is the most affected by your current situation. This is the category you should start looking at first.

Take your first category and start to change those 'don't wants' into 'Positive Desires'. Positive Desires are the same thing put in a different way and it's an important step towards achieving. Positive Desires need to be phrased in a particular way for them to be powerful enough to help you move towards them.

If your current 'don't want' is: I don't want to work until 8pm every night. Think carefully about why you don't want this anymore. What would you prefer to be doing instead? Perhaps you would prefer to be spending time with friends, perhaps you would like to have time to cook more meals, maybe you want to be spending quality time with your children or partner? Whatever it is that working till 8pm prevents you from doing, try to identify it. Maybe it't just that you want this time back to use as you please and not for a specific purpose, that's good too.

So now to re-word your 'don't want'.


I don't want to work until 8pm every night would become I have lots of spare time during which I....

Notice that this new desire is set in the present tense so that your mind is becoming rewired to believe that it is already happening. By doing this you are allowing your brain the freedom to recognise opportunities for free time and to point these out to you on a subconscious level. The brain responds to what you tell it - if you tell it that you have no free time it will seek out ways to confirm this and 'no free time' is all you will see. There is lots of evidence to support this. Derren Brown repeated a well known experiment where he asked people in the street to look through a newspaper to find a specific article. Their brains were focused on only this so they missed completely the full page advert in bold type which said something like 'If you see this you will be given £100!' Their brains were not open to seeing anything else because they had been told that there was an article they had to look for and everything else was ignored. Make sure that you are telling your brain the right things to look for or it will find only the things you have focused on. Focus on 'no time' and 'no time' is exactly what your brain is programmed to look for and find evidence of.

Once you have turned all your 'don't want's into Positive Desires sit back and see what kind of life you have outlined for yourself. 

Imagine in vivid detail what life would look like if it was lived in line with all your Positive Desires. Close your eyes and see it. See the life in which you wake up happy and full of energy, where your working life is a joy that you look forward to, where you have time for all the things you enjoy, where all the bills get paid easily and with money still in the bank for all kinds of exciting things, where you have reconnected with those around you, where your relationships are thriving and you are living in the house of your dreams. Try not to censor this, immerse yourself in it fully and enjoy it the same way you would enjoy a wonderful dream. Feelings are the key to giving life to your dreams - so feel every happy moment of this life you have created through your Positive Desires.

Outline your ideal day.

Once you have seen this and enjoyed it, take a new piece of paper (I keep a journal for the purpose of all these exercises) and write in detail your ideal day. Write what would happen from the moment you wake to the moment you go to sleep and make it the most perfect day you could ever imagine.

Read this every day if you can. Read your Positive Desires everyday and keep them up somewhere that will remind you to read them through (I have a lovely framed whiteboard in my breakfast room and I write one of my affirmations, or a positive thought on here with a silly little picture next to it every week. My son always reads it and the two of us have it in full view every morning so that we can take it in even without really noticing most of the time).

Before you go to sleep each night imagine your life as you desire it and see yourself living this life. 

Feel happy as you do so (feeling depressed because it hasn't happened yet will trick your brain into thinking you will never have it and 'I will never have it' is what your brain will begin to find opportunities to confirm).

Once you have got into this mind set, finding what you want to do is much easier. What job or business could you do that would meet the checklist criteria for your new imagined life? What would bring you great joy? The money side of things will be covered in a later blog but for now you need to define what you want, not what would bring you the most money - that's never going to work out long term.

What is your ideal life? What would an ideal day be for you? Share it!

Love Nova xx

How will Universal Credit Affect You?

Lots of people starting a business will be relying on working tax credits or housing benefit to help them get off the ground and still be able to keep a roof over their heads. I have a lot of people who are becoming worried about this and so I have scoured the internet for some information that might help.

I found this excellent article which seeks to explain what it means for different situations. Have a look and if you know different to what you find in the article then let me know! I think it is really useful...

http://www.permaculturehouseintotnes.co.uk/1/post/2013/04/universal-credit-and-the-self-employed.html

Here is another link to the BBC Q and A about Universal Credit that was useful:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-11735673

If you are thinking of quitting the 9-5 you absolutely need to know about this and how it will affect you if you will not have an income for a while or you do not have other means of support.

What are your views on the Universal Credit system?

Love Nova xx

Find your Business Buddies!

I have a new big booking for my 'coaching briefs' and it has come about by linking with another business. It is money in the bank for me and money in the bank for them, new clients all round and everyone is happy.

Linking with business buddies is a great way to grow your business and theirs at the same time, what's not to like?

So what is a Business Buddy?

Business Buddies are businesses that are complementary to yours and offer services or products that are along similar lines but are different enough that they aren't going to be competing with you.

Can you give me an example? 

There are lots of working examples of how businesses have joined together to help one another, co-operatives, village markets, craft fairs etc. Sometimes these can still have lots of competition involved though,   nothing wrong with that in principle, a little competition gives you information, drive and helpful hints to improve your own business. Business Buddies however are businesses that create referrals for each other just by going about their daily business. Its the graphic design company that links with a printer and gets their clients a good deal.

Good for the graphic designer - they have a reliable service that they can count on and might be able to ask them favours like a last minute job that needs to be done. As a regular customer they are likely to give you credit and the best deals meaning that you can pass on some or all of the discounted rates to your customers.

Good for the customer - they will be able to get a better deal from you on design and printing than they would be able to get on their own.

Good for the printer - they get business from you that they don't have to pay marketing and advertising costs to go out and get. This is likely to make them work hard to ensure you stay with them.

Everyone wins!

So how can I find a business buddy?

Start to think about the types of businesses that might complement yours. If you run a florists can you link up with wedding services? If you sell food can you link up with someone that sells drink and offer the two together at a really good deal and sell more through joint efforts? If you run a cafe can you link with a delivery service, a healthy eating campaign project, offer a meeting space to business people in the area, sell some books for people to read whilst they are there and link with a bookshop?

There are a million ideas to go through so take some time to look around at your market place and think about what would really benefit your customers or someone else's customers and start approaching people with your ideas!

What are the other benefits?

Having someone else to refer you is a huge help to any business, customers like to find people to work with that have been recommended to them or that they already have a relationship with - be that person by having genuine and meaningful links with people you trust and feel happy to promote.

New links can lead to new opportunities. Who knows where that new link could lead you? Your Business Buddy might have new ideas for you, directions you had never even thought of that they suggest because they know that their client base would like it. Take the example of the cake decorator: the cake decorator links with a wedding planning service and  makes wonderful wedding cakes for their client base that people love. One day the wedding planners have a wedding where the bride is gluten intolerant, the wedding services ask if you might consider putting some gluten free options into your current range and you jump at the idea. Now the bride is super happy and whenever her friends get married she recommends you because you helped her out, she also tells people wherever she goes that if they want a really great gluten free cake they should come to you. You (the cake maker) end up with a best selling range of high end gluten free cakes for special occasions. It's a simple example of things that happen all the time when you link up with new people.

You're spreading the word about your business far quicker. We all know how this works, you tell one person, they tell two, those two tell another two people each and it all grows at the rate of compound interest but in a far more positive direction! This can happen anyway through your customers (you hope its all good of course!), but the important difference about the way this happens with Business Buddies is that you are more than likely spreading the word through your target markets. The printer telling people about your design service is potentially more value than the fruit and veg shop telling them (although all good publicity is fantastic, always be nice to people you meet, you never know if that fruit and veg shop are about to rebrand...). People who use printing services are more likely to want graphic design services at some point in the future or to know others who might.

Business Buddies have been a great way for me to help expand my business and in turn I can help others to expand too, it always goes both ways and it always should  - beware the 'Buddy' who takes but never gives...do you really want to refer your customers to someone like that?? They won't thank you for it!

Buddy up today! Do you have a good Business Buddy? Who are they and how does it work?

Love Nova xxx

Ways to Make Going Self-Employed Easier

In the early stages of a business you will be spending more than you are earning (you have to market yourself to get those customers and that costs money). If you have no savings put aside and no partner to support you and a child or children (like me) then going self-employed is still a very viable opportunity but its made a million times easier if you can have a transition period.

Whatever job you are currently doing get brave and ask your employer if they would consider you going part time. List your reasons and the benefits to them before you ask for a meeting and be really clear about the fact that you have considered their needs as well as your own. You might also need to remind them why you are worth keeping!

Using these questions may help you to define why you are someone they want to hold on to!

1) What do you do really well at work?

2) What skills and qualities to you bring to your position that help the company? (Maybe you are the trouble shooter, the voice of reason, the person that calms everyone down, the person who is not afraid to give ideas that are out of the box, the person who helps new colleagues settle in etc)

3) Why are you thinking of going part-time? (Be honest with yourself here but keep it positive when you talk to your employer!)

4) What would part-time work mean for your performance at work? (would you be more focused, more organised, able to give more on the days you are working, a calmer performance...etc)

5) Think about all the different options you could offer, maybe you could do the same hours but in less days. Could you offer 4 days a week with longer hours on those days but with a day off in lieu each week? Could you work from home two days a week so that you can still do the same work for your employer but set your own hours on those days and perhaps give yourself time to attend meetings with potential clients?

Once you can offer something really valuable to your employer in return for going part-time consider what you will do if they say no. Have a think about your next move, will you hand in your notice, stay on but resentfully? Make sure you have thought about all the angles of how this could affect you and the relationships in your workplace and act accordingly.

You could also start looking for another position that is part time - wait until you have landed a part time job before handing in your notice and then build up from there.

The decision of what is best for your situation is ultimately yours, just make sure you have thought it all through and have a plan for all the options that may arise.

Go for it, don't delay, get working on that plan now and start to put it into action. There is NO perfect time, its just doesn't exist. If you wait for the perfect time it will never come....

Let me know how you get on and any questions please ask!

Love Nova xxx

A Video to Inspire You!

We all need a little inspiration now and again and this is a video that follows a philosophy that I am a utter nutter about - it makes me feel all passionate and like I want to shout about it very loudly to every child and adult in the world!

Lots of people have already seen this but I love it and listen to it lots! It's so true and I try to share that with children at school and my son...do what you love to do.

I dare you to watch it and not get a little bit excited at the message it is giving you...

What do you think about this way of thinking? Madness or music to your ears?

Love Nova xx

Top 3 Things to Avoid when Starting up a Business.

These are the 3 things that I would recommend for any new business. These are all from experience, not only my own experience but the experience of the many small businesses I have helped over the years. Take heed...!

1. Don't spend loads of money on 'stuff' for the business

Although one of the most exciting things about setting up a business is buying all the new 'stuff' you 'absolutely' need (believe me I find buying stationary extraordinarily exciting, I have every kind of post-it you can imagine...but then I do need them *ahem*), chances are you don't really need it and what you are actually doing is throwing away the money you need to be building the business. Trust me when I say that although you are sure that your website must be a very professional, top end looking one from the start, it honestly doesn't. You may want the bespoke business cards with a logo that you have had designed, but actually vistaprint will do fine when you start out, they are cheap, they look great and you may find that you need to alter your details slightly as time goes on and you don't want to keep paying to replace them if they are super expensive.

Remember that right now you are just starting out, people get that, they understand, we are in a recession, people may even prefer that you are not presenting yourself as the most expensive looking option out there. People buy into YOU, they want to like you, trust you, feel like you understand them - they won't buy with you or not buy with you on the strength of your business card - all of the smart stuff can come when you are making good money, right now you just need customers.

One thing you can spend some money on is a new outfit...to make you feel really confident and reflect the new you...it can be a cheap new outfit, or even from a charity shop (I loooove a charity shop bargain!) but if you want to make a good first impression then treat yourself to this and leave your personalised post-its at home (why would you want to use them anyway, they are just so yummy to look at, don't use them for anything they'll get ruined!)

2. If you can, don't get a loan to start-up or use your credit cards.

This varies according to what business you are starting of course but the amount of times I wrote a business plan for someone that 'needed' a huge business loan or a big injection of capital because they wanted to 'start big' always bothered me. How do you know its going to work? Yes it won't be your money you have lost but if you have lost your business then it can be a long crawl to get back to just standing still again. If you can start smaller but on less borrowed money then DO IT! I borrowed money for the magazine I decided to start for new mums, initially I thought I would just do a newsletter type thing that I would deliver around the local area myself, it would be printed on my computer and it would serve the purpose I wanted it to of telling mums what was going on locally and where they could go to meet up with other mums. However...as the idea grew and grew I decided that I should just go big NOW, why wait? Why not just spend my cash and borrow from my credit card and make it glossy and have a massive distribution and and and...?? Why not? It had outgrown me before I had even started that's why. I should have started smaller, I was seduced by the idea of making it more than it needed to be because that was more glamorous than saying I write a newsletter...what a nutter. The magazine was actually quite successful for a while, I had good feedback, won some money for it, went on the radio a bit, had a high old time meeting people and interviewing people...but the fact was it was too big for me, I hadn't learnt my trade. Another magazine launched with the same demographic in the same area and blew me out of the water, I was left with the debts and no glossy magazine.

Start small, start cheap, learn your trade.

3. Panicking 

So you've done all the exciting bits, you have your idea, your plan, your business cards, you have been meeting people, marketing yourself, all the right things...but nothing is happening. You start to slowly wonder if you need to panic, whether you should have given up your job, whether you will be able to pay the bills this month, whether it will ever work. These thoughts go round and round in your head until you can no longer see the wood for the trees and start slashing your prices and adding additional services or products in the hope that at least one thing will work. I've been there, I've done that. It 'ain't pretty, don't do it!! One thing I learnt early on is that specialising is a great thing, trying to be all things to all people is not. Panicking will lead to all kinds of trouble. If you find yourself here, which most people will, at least once (maybe loads of times) just remind yourself that this is perfectly normal. Yes its horrendous when you don't know if you have enough to cover the basic costs of life, it can be almost impossible not to panic, but the second you do you have lost all creative thinking capacity and right now you need that more than ever before. There is a way around or out of it but you have to be in the right frame of mind to see it and find the answers.

What are your top tips of things to avoid?

Love Nova xxx