Meet Peggy Duncan: After leaving corporate America, Peggy Duncan (http://peggyduncan.com) headed out on her own and became a solopreneur. As with other business leaders, she used what she’d learned while working jobs at companies like IBM, to launch and grow her company. Today, Peggy serves her clients as a personal productivity expert trainer, consultant and coach. She’s also a professional speaker and author. Her expertise is time management, technology and business organization. As a workshop leader, she has spearheaded training programs like “Find Time to Lead,” “Spend Less Time Working, But Get More Done,” DIY SEO” and “Conquer Email Overload with Outlook.” For her work, Peggy has appeared or been mentioned in major media outlets like CNN, Inc, National Public Radio ( NPR), Self, Black Enterprise, Essence, MSNBC and Today.
WMI: As a little girl, what did you dream of becoming, of doing with your life?
PD: Hmmm. That was so long ago. I was always a girlie girl and was quite domestic. I remember cooking and sewing all through school, and don’t remember ever thinking past that.
WMI: There comes a time in many of our lives when we reach a fork in the road, when we know, for us, life is about to change forever. Was there a similar time in your life? (Pls expound on this.)
PD: After IBM, I had taken a job at another major corporation. I was so bored and had gotten to a point that I didn’t want to learn anything. I knew I had to change, so I spent a year researching how to start a business. I combined the personal productivity expertise I’d gained at IBM and my knowledge of the Microsoft Office suite from the new company and quit the end of the second year. I have not looked back.
WMI: Tell us what a personal productivity expert does, and how does the role differ from that of a life coach?
PD: A life coach will help you get unstuck by establishing visions and goals for your life. I focus on helping you get the day-to-day work done by examining and improving every aspect of how you work. You’ll create time for the life you want. I coach virtually using Skype with video.
WMI: Are people generally disorganized? Why or why not?
PD: Disorganization is a huge problem at home and in the workplace, but some people are more disorganized than others. It’s not just paper clutter. There’s also information overload, app overload, computer clutter, mind clutter, process clutter, tech clutter, and not to mention the mess in the clothes closet. People live like this because they’ve never been taught a better way…it’s just that simple. Once I teach them the basic principles of organization, they can organize anything.
WMI: In what three to four ways does disorganization and poor time management slow down our personal and business success?
PD: If you spend minutes or hours looking for something on your desk or your computer or in your clothes closet, that’s wasted time you will never get back. Disorganization also gives people the impression that you’re out of control and can’t handle the job. You want people to give you something and walk away knowing they don’t have to worry about it anymore. If they can’t do that, why do they need you?
WMI: Tell us about some of the training programs you offer.
PD: I stay in my lane with personal productivity and technology topics, including organization/time management, advanced PowerPoint, and managing email with Outlook. For small business owners, I teach do-it-yourself search engine optimization (SEO) and how to get started with video and YouTube.
WMI: You’ve also written several books. Share some of the topics you cover in your books.
PD: Actually, I’ve written books and booklets on all my training topics I mentioned above. My latest is a booklet with tips and tricks on Windows 8.
WMI: You won the 2012 Small Business Influencer Champion award. What’s required to be a small business influencer?
PD: Hah! I did have a sufficient bio to qualify for the running, but I was able to win because I have a great email list, and my subscribers voted for me like crazy.
WMI: How has working as a radio and TV host and as a magazine columnist helped you market and promote your business?
PD: When you’re able to reach the masses, you don’t have to “beat the bushes” as much to get new business. I want to stay solo, and doing anything I can to reach a lot of people without too much effort just works for me.
WMI: What advice would you give to someone looking to start a business today?
PD: Pick what you do, do it better than anyone else, and get known for it.
WMI: What’s next for Peggy Duncan? Where would you like to see yourself and your business two to three years from now?
I plan to remain a solopreneur without the stress of hiring a staff. I’m working on training more internationally because I love to travel. I’d also like to coach more C-Level executives, helping them with their personal productivity. I’m being considered as a media spokesperson for a couple of major brands, and I’m keeping my fingers crossed on this. It’d be great to create a series of tips booklets related to their products. I love to train and help people solve their problems. I’ll do this as long as I can.
Sources:
http://www.PeggyDuncan.com/ (Peggy Duncan official website)
http://www.SuiteMinute.com (Award-winning technology blog)
http://www.YouTube.com/user/digitalbreakthroughs (Lots of how-to videos)
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