Some of my favorite newsletters
One of the great ways I stay motivated and keep learning is by subscribing to ezines and newsletters. 
I just posted a list of some of my favorites in my Hyena Cart here: http://hyenacart.com/elementalmuse/index.php?c=21&p=88690
And, this article from a newsletter I received today was too good not to share.
8 Ways to Grow Your Business During a Summer Lull
by Alicia M. Forest, MBA
Multiple Streams Queen & Coach(TM)
Have things slowed down for your business now that the warmer months are upon us and people are on vacation or otherwise taking a break from their usual routines? Use this downtime to focus on getting your business ready to rock for the fall by implementing some of the 8 ideas below:
1. Evaluate your staffing needs.
If you haven’t hired an assistant yet, whether that’s a virtual assistant, an in-person assistant, or a combination of the two, now is a great time to do so. Begin by creating your ideal profile of what you want your assistant to look like, and then start putting out feelers to your networks about exactly what you’re looking for in an assistant.
Once you’ve found the right person for you, the summer months are a great time to train someone so they are up to speed come the busier fall months.
If you already have help, take some time to evaluate their performance. This includes taking a look not just at your current assistant(s) but also any outside vendors you work with, like your web designer, your shopping cart system, your list service, or your copywriter.
If you’re finding their work to not be meeting your needs and expectations, follow the same process as you did for hiring an assistant. Start with creating the ideal profile of who you’re looking for and then put that information out to your networks for recommendations.
2. Increase your learning to increase your earning.
The summer is a great time to educate yourself on whatever it is you need to know to take your business to the next level. Choose a business-building project, like building your list or increasing your search engine rankings, and invest some of your education budget into a program or product that will help you learn what you need to know. Then plan the time to actually learn and implement the material, and you will reap the benefits come the fall.
3. Make-over or create your ezine.
Take an objective look at your ezine, and ask a few colleagues if they’s be willing to offer you some feedback on it as well. Make any changes you think might help it be more effective as marketing and sales tool.
If you haven’t started your ezine yet, the summer is a great time to put one together and start sending it to your list regularly.
4. Clean out and organize your email.
Is your inbox an energy drain?
Mine was! But I was committed to having less than 50 emails in my inbox before leaving for vacation this summer, which I managed by being ruthless with the delete key and only leaving those emails in my inbox that required action on my part.
Take a look at your inbox and either respond to, file in the appropriate folder, delegate or delete.
Once I did this, I felt the drain from hundreds of emails just sitting in my inbox slipping away. Take some time each day to delete old emails, reply to ones that only require a quick response, and set the ‘rules’ feature to automatically sort future incoming mail into appropriate folders.
5. Revamp your office.
This is something I’m going to do once I’m back at my desk after our summer vacation. I love the feeling of throwing out so many old files and restocking my bookshelves so I can actually see what I own! And by doing so, I’ll be creating space for more clients and more abundance to come into my business!
But revamping your office doesn’t just include cleaning out and reorganizing your stuff. If you also have tools that aren’t working the way they should, get them fixed so they do, or replace them. So, if you’re printer only works when it feels like it, get it fixed or get a new one.
6. Clean up your computer.
Tired of wasting time searching for stuff on your computer? Take some time this summer to clean up your files, delete ones you don’t need anymore, reorganize what you do need into appropriate folders, and remove old software that you no longer use. Your hard drive will thank you!
7. Write down your accomplishments so far this year.
It’s important to pause periodically and recognize your successes. And now that we’re halfway through the year, take some time to write down and savor your accomplishments so far. Then plan out what you’d like to achieve for the rest of the year. This will motivate and inspire you going forward.
8. Enjoy yourself!
Summer is a special time of year, where people are more laid back and life takes on a more leisurely pace. Make sure you take some time to enjoy it. After all, isn’t time freedom one of the reasons you went into business for yourself in the first place?
© 2007 Alicia M Forest and ClientAbundance.com
Alicia M Forest, MBA, Multiple Streams Queen & Coach(TM) teaches self-employed professionals how to attract more clients, create profit-making products and services, make more sales, and ultimately live the life they desire and deserve. For FREE tips on how to create wild abundance in your business, visit www.ClientAbundance.com
11 Ways to Turnaround a Cash-Strapped Business or Practice
A Note from Michelle~ Most, if not all, small business owners have been in the tight spots where there’s not enough money for the house payment or rent, nevermind spending extra on advertising. In those times it’s so easy to get discouraged. But instead, pick yourself up and get BUSY! You CAN be successful in your business. Sometimes it just takes a little creativity or extra effort. The article below covers some great FREE ways to promote your products or services. Grab a sheet of paper and start taking notes on how you can use these ideas in your business and then get started. And now on to the article I’d like to share (be sure to visit the website listed at the bottom, you’ll find great resources there): =======================================
This past weekend I received a disturbing message from a dear friend. His business wasn’t generating all the income he needed. He’s exhausted all savings, started depleting credit card reserves and badly needed money to pay this month’s mortgage… Ouch! I wish I knew sooner…
Whether it’s pride or just human nature that keeps professionals from asking for help sooner, it’s just plain silly to keep “toughing it out” when there are so many strategies for generating new business fast.
You see, there is really no shortage of new business, there is only a shortage of knowledge how to get this business.
So if you are one of those professional folks who could use a few hundred bucks to help out with this month’s mortgage, here are a few strategies to get your business buzzing with new customers or clients:
1. Get on the phone!
Pick up the phone and call everyone you know. Contact all clients, prospects, friends and family. Make sure they all know what you do, who you are looking for as a client, and how to “give you away.”
2. Get out and meet people!
Sitting in the office, shuffling paperwork and piddling around with emails will not take you far enough fast enough. You need to be talking to people who can buy your product or service. Set a goal of how many people you want to see in person every day and find ways to meet that goal!
3. Stop competing and start leveraging!
Instead of being mad at your competitors for stealing all your business, approach them and offer to help out. At times we all get projects that are too big, too small, or too “whatever” for us to take on.
Contact your competitors and ask if they would be willing to outsource their “too whatever” jobs to you - so that you can both make some dough. (Yeah, I know, it sounds like eating some humble bread – but hey, I think it beats living under a bridge 
4. Ask for referrals!
You should be doing this anyway. Have a conversation with all clients (past and current) and help them think of people they can introduce you to right away. Oh, and don’t forget – just because a prospect says “no”, it doesn’t mean he or she doesn’t know someone who would gladly say “yes”.
5. Crank up your follow-up!
Do you have a stack of cards from people who turned you down once before? Maybe it’s time to resurrect them. Reach out to your “old” prospects - even if you previously gave up on them. Give them a call, send them a postcard or an article, and give them a special reason to say “yes” now!
6. Forgive your ex-clients!
Frequently ex-clients realize they made a mistake by getting involved with another vendor – but they are too embarrassed to admit it. Give them a way to gracefully come back to you and many will do it.
7. Catch a COI!
Form an alliance with Centers of Influence who can introduce to a large number of prospects at once and give you instant credibility. Well thought out and carefully executed strategic alliances with COI can infuse your business with all the new sales you can handle.
8. Educate, educate, educate!
Regardless of what business you are in you can always find things your clients and prospects would appreciate learning from you. How-to tips, informative case studies, industry reports – those are all great tools that can easily attract prospects hungry for your “stuff.”
9. Start thinking strategically!
If you are having trouble attracting enough new business, the marketing tactics above should help you get things hopping, but to achieve a long-term sustainable success you’ll need to address your marketing on a strategic level.
Identify or re-evaluate your ideal target market, clearly describe the benefits your product or service provides, create a compelling marketing message, re-evaluate your business model and re-define your methods of delivering your product or service, etc., etc.
10. Stop getting and start giving!
When you are in the “how I can GET a client” mode, you are focused on you – and that doesn’t make you very attractive. Shift your thinking to “how I can GIVE clients more VALUE” and you’ll become an irresistible client magnet!
11. GET HELP!
When you are in the midst of a demanding situation you cannot always have the clarity needed to creating solutions. Collaborate with a successful associate, start your own board of advisors or a mastermind group, or hire a marketing mentor to pull you out of the quicksand. Remember, when time and money count – you can’t afford the expensive “trial and error” learning curve!
Oh, and one final thought – now that you are done reading - get busy implementing!
(c) 2004 Adam M. Urbanski
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Adam Urbanski, the Marketing Mentor, helps Independent Service Professionals and Small Business Owners attract more clients. For more promotional tips and a FREE 32-page marketing guide go to http://www.themarketingmentors.com
Success Recipes–What is Success? How Can You Achieve it?
I came across an article this morning that I found inspiring and wanted to share.
http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifehack/success-recipes-most-people-know-but-too-few-follow.html
Truly define and find happiness and success in your life with these recipes.
And on the subject of staying inspired…
You know those days where life as a work-at-home-mom seems to hand you more than you can handle? I’ve had a month full of them. But I’m still here and still going because I know why I do what I do. When you can stay focused and remember what inspires you, you can keep going no matter what challenges come your way.
My last few week have been spent worried about one very sick little boy. After ER and Doctor visits, the final verdict is wheat/gluten intolerance, probably celiac disease. And so a major diet change was in order. I feel sort of like I’ve had to re-learn how to feed my kids this month, and although I already read labels like crazy, I’ve had to read them even more closely. But I’m so thankful that through all this, I’m able to be here with my son instead of sending him off to daycare and wondering if they’d feed him something that would cause stomach pains and require another trip to the ER. My three children are my main inspiration for working from home, and I’ve been reminded of that so frequently this month.
As I sit here writing, the kids are watching “Liberty Kids” and my two older boys are discussing whether the “red coats” attack strategy is really going to work. It’s wonderful to be able to not miss the moments like these.
You know what else I find inspiration in? Knowing that what I do allows other mothers to enjoy the same moments I’m enjoying. Of course the creative outlet of design is fantastic, and coding allows me to test to be sure that my brain *is* still working after all these years out of school, but every time I complete a website design, or help a mama get setup with a shopping cart, or sell another copy of my ebooks, I know that I’m helping another mother to succeed in her home business and that’s truly an inspiration to continue doing what I do.
So, I encourage you to take some time to remember what your inspiration is — your family, your children, your art… whatever it is, embrace it and allow it to carry you through the tough times. This too shall pass…
Michelle
P.S. I’ll be posting soon about the Inspirational WAHMs nomations
Why Moms Should Start a Home Based Business Today
Most Moms think about starting a home based business at one time or another.
Maybe the youngest has started school, and Mom suddenly has a lot of free time. Or perhaps Mom was successful in her career before having her first child, and wished to put her skills to good use in a home based business. Another reason may be that a couple is accustomed to the lifestyle they can afford with two incomes, and when Mom suddenly decides to quit her job to stay home and raise the children, the loss of income is uncomfortable…or even intolerable if the income is sorely needed to pay bills.
My purpose in writing this article is to give you some compelling reasons why you SHOULD start a home based business, and do so TODAY.
1) Having a Home Based Business provides you with a safety net if your husband loses his job.
We don’t live in the days of our Grandparents, where the advice was: Get a good education, get a good job, work hard for 40 years and let the company take care of you. Retirement is almost a joke. There is no such thing as job security anymore. Layoffs and downsizing are commonplace today. Social Security and Medicaid may not even be around when some of us reach retirement age.
For many families, the loss of the primary earner’s income is devastating. Most families simply do not have the 6-12 months of living expenses set aside in savings that financial advisors recommend. Oftentimes it takes a person weeks or even months to find employment that matches the salary they are used to. Unemployment benefit checks are not enough to cover even the bare necessities of life.
Having a Home Based Business provides the family with a second income. During the period of unemployment, Mom can step up her efforts to build her business and make more money. Dad might be in a position to help out more, giving her the ability to do this with more focus. Who knows… Dad might even decide to join Mom in her “little business”…especially when she starts earning more than he does. Stranger things have happened!
2) Having a Home Based Business provides extra income to help the family meet certain goals.
For instance… getting out of debt. An extra few hundred dollars a month added to the credit card debt load could make a huge difference in how quickly the debts get paid off.
After this is accomplished, the money that was going to credit cards could be applied towards private education for children, savings for college, that special vacation the family has always wanted to take, a newer model car, renovations on the house so siblings can have more space (or Mom her own office!).
Another awesome goal is that of paying off the mortage early. By making an additional mortage payment periodically most couples can shave YEARS off of the life of their mortage. Few people own their homes outright, but what a freeing feeling that would be!
3) Having a Home Based Business models entrepreneurship to children
In today’s world, it’s more important than ever for our kids to learn how to “mind their own business”. Children who grow up watching Mom work her business learn how to manage time wisely, they learn how to take responsibility for themselves financially (instead of relying on an employer), and they may learn practical skills especially if Mom lets them help out or even pays them to help. Current tax laws even allow young children to be paid (and this is a tax deductible expense) for their services…check with your accountant.
Young girls will also learn that it IS possible to have the best of both worlds…a woman can stay home to raise her children and still earn income.
4) Having a Home Based Business improves relationships
Most women I have spoken with about the subject agree that it isn’t good for their self esteem to have to ask their husbands for money. What’s bad for a woman’s self esteem is bad for the marriage! Women feel better about themselves when they are at least somewhat independent financially. They also have something besides “what little Johnny did today” to talk about at the dinner table. It keeps the relationship fresh and lively when a couple can discuss their challenges and triumphs in their business and work lives. Anytime you see someone do something they’re good at, it causes you to see them in a new light and have newfound appreciation for them. This is always a good thing in marriage!
Work from home Moms also tend to stay more connected with their peers, via networking with other business moms, prospecting for new customers and business partners, and the like. There is a tendency for new Moms to stay in the nest a little too much at first, and this can lead to depression. A business Mom, on the other hand, is almost forced to talk to people! She has a reason to get up, get dressed in something other than sweats, and go out and meet people. Little Johnny doesn’t care if you put on shoes and makeup, but doing so does wonders for your energy and mood.
5) Having a Home Based Business gives a Mom “something else”
While most women adore being Mothers and wouldn’t trade their husbands in anytime soon either, we all want “something more”. Something for ourselves, something to call our own, that isn’t a title or duty like Wife, Mother…something that isn’t undone 5 minutes after we do it. Something we can put our name on and be proud of.
Mothering is the most honorable profession in the world, but it isn’t always recognized as such…and it’s nice to be recognized once in a while.
My Mother once told me that the main reason she always had such success in Direct Sales was because she loved the recognition…and the women on her team would often work like madwomen to get some little trinket. Sometimes it wasn’t the cash…it was the pat on the back, the feeling of accomplishment that comes from meeting a goal.
That “something else” also makes the transition to empty-nest hood easier. So many women fall into deep depression when their youngest child leaves home. If more Moms had a Home Based Business, instead of having their self worth completely tied to Motherhood, maybe this wouldn’t happen so much.
There are more reasons to start a Home Based Business, (such as the tax advantages) but I hope I’ve given you some food for thought.
I wish you the best in your journey towards the ideal Home Business for you.
Carrie Lauth is a work at home Mom of 4. If she can earn money online, so can you! Get her free tips at http://www.Business-Moms-Expo.com