We seem to have forgotten that the economy has been bad before and we’ve survived. There has been an ebb and flow to the cycles of business for as long as there has been exchange of goods in the marketplace. It goes up and it goes down. Around and around. Season after season.

We seem to have forgotten that in the scope of history, it wasn’t that long ago that people left their home country to reach a new world of opportunity. They blazed trails into the wilderness. Instead of focusing on how bad it was or how there wasn’t a governmental agency out there prepared to underwrite their endeavors and make everything OK, or extended unemployment benefits, they pulled up their boots, focused on the positive and the possibilities and got to work. They made a way when there seemed like there was no way.

We seem to have forgotten that it was only about 100 years ago that the majority of the population was self employed. They didn’t wait for someone else to assign their value to a salary and a desk; they looked for the needs in the marketplace and came up with creative ways to fill them.

I think it’s pretty obvious that “things” will never go back to where they were 5 years ago. But rather than let the newspapers and pundits write your story for you, take control of your life and write your own story. Don’t you think you’d do a better job than some corporate CEO whose focus is his own company’s bottom line?

Once upon a time, there was you. Where are you going from here?

http://tinyurl.com/36tfsns

Happy Entrepreneuring!!

Katherine

http://tinyurl.com/26whlac

Happy Entrepreneuring!

Katherine

Trying to choose a restaurant…is their menu online? What are the hours of that new clothing store downtown? What was that gardening class that I saw at the nursery?

Those kinds of questions can’t be answered by the phone book and I’m not likely to get in the car and drive over to find out. Sadly, I’m also the type that doesn’t like picking up the phone and having to call. Well, I might to find out a store’s hours, but if i was seeking more than just basic information, chances are that I won’t call.

If you’re like me, you’re not a web guru. And being a small business person, I don’t have a whole chunk of money allocated to web development. I also don’t have a lot of time to self-educate on the latest software or coding methods. I’ve done the chore of browsing through hundreds of templates but never quote find one that fits the bill. I always want to tweak something or change a color or a texture and then you start racking up fees for customization for ONE site. If you have more than one site, you have to go through the whole thing all over again. Refer back to the chunk of money comment. It goes quick, doesn’t it?!

So, what’s to be done?

I have been noticing that there are some wonderful (and affordable!) software tools that are specifically designed to make web design easy.

One tool I have personally used for this site is Artisteer. It is especially great for creating designs for WordPress. The software will make design suggestions and then you can go in and adjust the colors, layout and graphics. It’s very easy and intuitive to use. It is available for download and comes in two different versions based upon export options and some expanded graphics elements.

www.Artisteer.com - $49.95 – $129.95

If you’re looking for the added simplicity of wrapping design/hosting/domain registration into one tidy package, there are a couple of options available.

GoDaddy has their Website Tonight® tool. I’ve used this tool, too and it’s very easy to use. I especially like the ability to go in and make changes and publish to the web with one click. They offer a variety of templates that are virtually plug and play with you just inputting your own text and graphics. While there are several color options for each template, you are limited to those specific colors and layouts.

www.GoDaddy.com – Each plan includes hosting and ranges from $3.99 – $12.99 per month based on size needs and payment plans.

Another tool that looks really nifty is one at Yola that I read about in my latest Entrepreneur magazine. It looks to be quite similar to GoDaddy’s tool but they also offer a free version. Yes, you read that right, I said FREE! For the free version, you would have a subdomain of their site (for example: www.YourSiteName.YolaSite.com). They also have the option of having a custom design created for $349.

www.Yola.com – FREE to $49.95 per year. $349 for custom design.

Intuit also has a website template service. Like GoDaddy and Yola, you simply have to choose a template, plug in your information and click to publish with their hosting. They also offer a 30-day free trial if you want to test it out.

www.Intuit.com – $4.99 per month.

These are just a handful of tools in an ever increasing number of options. I’m personally hoping for a marriage between the design portion and the hosting/one click publishing portion and more of the functionality for those of us that market and sell products online – shopping carts, autoresponders, list management, affiliate management. But it’s getting closer and closer all the time. But for now, you just need to get out there and online. With tools like these, you can make that happen in a couple of hours with just a couple of clicks.

What are you waiting for??

Happy Entrepreneuring!

Katherine

http://tinyurl.com/2fumkxf

Happy Entrepreneuring!

Time is like water. Water can’t ever be completely controlled. We might throw up a dam and think it’s under control, but that’s when a crisis will happen and we’re faced with either a flood or a drought on one side of the dam or the other.

Finding the balance is tough, but crucial. If we hoard the water above the dam (worklife) so we can get a lot done, the land below the dam (homelife) will dry up and die. If we let too much water flow downstream, we don’t have enough resources above the dam.

Planning our time is the cornerstone of good time management. Otherwise, you’ll be like me and turn around and time has floated downstream without much to show for it. Over-planning is just as dangerous and you can start to feel like a slave to the calendar and resentful and when that happens, we start sabotaging ourselves.

So, for me, it’s back to a schedule, with time for work and time for family and a little bit of room to let the water flow and do its work in case Mother Nature sends me a rainstorm.

But,

I’m sure all of us have a story about the day we realized that it wasn’t OK to be different. Maybe someone made fun of us wearing our rainbow colored tights every possible time we could sneak it past our mother. Or maybe we started wearing glasses at a young age and were gifted with the moniker of 4 eyes. Or maybe we liked books instead of sports. Or maybe we had curly hair that simply would not behave no matter what we did.

All it took was one finger pointing, one sing song taunt, one snickering laugh behind a cupped hand whispering in someone else’s ear with glances in our direction. We learn at an early age that blending in is good and standing out is bad.

A wise few buck the norm and cling to their individuality. But for most of us, the message is reinforced over and over. It’s impressed on us in grade school and high school and college. Even in the workplace conform to corporate cultures and dictates.

But,

When we decide to make the leap into owning our own business, it’s time to tap into our uniqueness again. We need to recognize our differences and turn them into assets and ways to connect with our clients on a deeper level.

We need to use our quirks and isms to help us stand out from the crowd instead of blending in with the other companies in our field.

Hold up a mirror to your life and find the things you’ve been trying so long to push down and start pulling them out – Every joy, every heartache, every guilty pleasure, every passion, everything that makes you smile or cry. Tap into the unique creation that you came into this world as.

Not only will you connect with your clients better, but you will find more joy in your work than you thought possible.

Happy Entreprenuring!

Katherine

The following are some sources for funds that can be used for your business needs:

1. Personal savings – Many start ups rely on savings to finance their business. This is the most cost effective source of funding but you need to use wisdom. Don’t put your family’s future in jeopardy by blowing through your life’s savings.

2. Bootstrapping – This is a method of self reliance that is also very cost effective. Money produced is poured back into the company to avoid the need for outside funding. This also means that growth has to be controlled so that costs can be controlled, which in my view, is a good thing. Uncontrolled growth can create a whole host of problems.

3. Family and Friends – Oftentimes, loved ones can provide funds for a start up entrepreneur. However, proceed with caution; these relationships are the most important in your life.

4. Small Business Administration – The Small Business Administration has a loan guarantee program where, if you’re approved, they will guarantee a portion of your small business loan.

5. Bank Loans – This is a more traditional form of financing. Bank requirements have become quite stringent and you may have to supply personal assets as collateral.

6. Investors – Securing funds from an investor is difficult, but not impossible. An investor will provide funds, either their own (angel investor) or those from a managed fund (venture capitalist), for your business. In return, they often expect not only debt repayment but also ownership equity in your business.

Happy Entrepreneuring!

Katherine

Besides just the downside of the benefits listed above, being disorganized also severely impacts your productivity, costs you time and money. Let’s estimate that a bit to put it in real world terms. Experts estimate that the average worker spends an hour a day looking for misplaced items. Say your income is roughly $60,000 per year. That hour adds up to almost $150 per week. Almost $600 per month. And over $7,000 per year.

That’s $7,000 a year flushed. Gone. Buh-bye.

I know, I know, being organized is a PAIN! It takes discipline and follow-through, but how much pain does it cause you to lose $7,000 a year?

What could you have done with that $7,000?

Tips for getting and staying organized

1. Clean the slate. You’ve seen those organizational shows where they pull everything out of the house and make the people go through and sort it, right? To stay organized, you need to get organized.

2. Create Stacks. Once you have that stack of items piled up in front of you that you’ve been putting off dealing with, go through it and put it into 4 stacks:

Trash, Shred, File, Action Needed

The trash part is easy. Throw it away. Be careful not to throw anything away that has personal information, even if it’s partial like credit card numbers, birth date, medical information, etc. You’re better off to shred it. Better safe than sorry. You’ll be surprised at how much of the stuff you can just toss.

Shred – easy, peasy. If you don’t own a shredder, this is one of the best investments you can make. And get a cross cut shredder. The old style strip shredders are pretty useless. It might take some time, but anyone who is patient enough can patch those strips together and have any information you thought was protected.

File – I have an ongoing file stack. I have some of those nifty stackable trays and one of them is specifically for filing. Then every Friday, before I close the office for the day, I file. It usually takes all of 10 minutes and then everything is in its place. If it’s not in the file, it’s in the tray. How easy is that? And 10 minutes is WAY doable…I don’t care who you are.

Action needed – I’ve found that this stack is usually fairly small. Either write them down in a list, or sort them in order of priority and schedule time to deal with them.

3. Make a to-do list. Taking a few minutes to write down the to-do’s of the day will help you to stay on task. You’ll also get a sense of accomplishment by checking items off when they’re complete.

4. Stay on top of it. I know, it may take an extra 2 minutes to sort through the mail as soon as it comes in, but those 2 minutes will save you having to repeat steps 1 and 2 again. Over and over.

5. Use your calendar. If you start using a calendar to schedule your time, you will be surprised to find out how much time you can find. I subscribe to several magazines and have time for reading them slated into my schedule.

There you have it. A few simple things followed consistently and your work world will be a much more organized, productive place, which for me, makes it a happier one, too.

Now…what can I use that $7,000 for?

HANDBOOK for 2010

Health:
1. Drink plenty of water.
2. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.
3. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.
4. Live with the 3 E’s — Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy
5. Make time to pray.
6. Play more games.
7. Read more books than you did in 2009.
8. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.
9. Sleep for 7 hours.
10. Take a 10-30 minute walk daily. And while you walk, smile.

Personality:
11. Don’t compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
12. Don’t have negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead, invest your energy in the positive present moment.
13. Don’t over-do. Keep your limits.
14. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
15. Don’t waste your precious energy on gossip.
16. Dream more while you are awake.
17. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
18. Forget issues of the past. Don’t remind your partner with His/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.
19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don’t hate others.
20. Make peace with your past so it won’t spoil the present.
21. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
22. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
23. Smile and laugh more.
24. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

Society:
25. Call your family often.
26. Each day give something good to others.
27. Forgive everyone for everything.
28. Spend time w/people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6.
29. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
30. What other people think of you is none of your business.
31. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

Life:
32. Do the right thing!
33. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.
34. GOD heals everything.
35. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
36. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
37. The best is yet to come.
38. When you awake alive in the morning, thank GOD for it.
39. Your Inner most is always happy. So, be happy.