A Lady You Don’t Want to Miss
I’ve been subscribed to Nancy Marmolejo’s newsletter for a while now and regularly read her blog. It’s an inspirational “kick in the pants” for me to get real about claiming my personality, knowledge and style an being okay with that. Highly recommended!
As I was browsing the archives a bit I ran across this quote:
You do have something unique to say because no one has said it in your voice, with your style, and with your personality. Imagine if no artist ever painted the human form again because Rembrandt did it so well. By withholding your expertise, you are denying your ideal market the chance to learn from a new perspective. — Nancy Marmolejo
Read more about Marketing Yourself as an Expert here: http://www.vivavisibility.com/blog/?p=24
Nancy Marmolejo helps successful entrepreneurs stand out, get noticed, and get more business by positioning themselves as sought after, recognized experts. Find out how easy it is to start with Nancy’s 7 Quick and Simple Tips, available free at www.VivaVisibility.com
Cool Website Alert! For Windows Users
A great listing of open source windows software.
Some of my favorites for my PC made the list:
- Firefox for web surfing
- Open Office for word processing and spreadsheets
- Audacity for Sound
- Filezilla for FTP
- Eraser for File Deletion Security
You can find all sorts of goodies there. 
Nice Photoshop Tutorials
Found a site with really nice photoshop tutorials. You can learn to do some fun things here!
http://www.pegaweb.com/tutorials/atlantis/atlantis.htm
Have you discovered Fly Lady?
Have you discovered Fly Lady yet?
I admit it. I am not a naturally organized person. My husband would vouch for this. ;-) But about four years ago now I discovered Fly Lady and the answer to my disorganization.
Now my house stays pretty clean and I don’t panic if someone shows up unexpectedly (okay, maybe I do, but it’s not because the house is a mess).
I firmly believe organization and schedules and lists are the ONLY way for someone like me to stay on top of a home based business, homeschoolers, kid care, and all the household duties.
So, if you struggle with it, give Fly Lady a shot! It’s completely overwhelming at first, while you’re in declutter mode, but it gets easier and when you’re through it everything feels SO much better. And your sink will be shiny, too!
And an organized home means more time for your business (less time searching for lost things!) and a more peaceful feeling space to work in.
What gets you motivated?
Over at the Hyena Cart Forums (http://hyenacart.com/phpbb) the work at home moms in WAHM Chat were discussing what gets them motivated to work in their businesses.
I posted my favorite “motivational tool” — Pandora radio. :-) www.pandora.com It’s a free internet radio station. You tell it one or more songs or artists you like and it creates a station personalized to your taste. As it chooses songs you can give them a thumbs up or thumbs down and it learns more about what you like.
My stations include a “Girl Rock” (with Avril Lavigne, Sheryl Crow, Alanis Morissette, Ashlee Simpson, etc) that I play when I truly need to get some “get moving” vibes, and then a few more relaxed stations that play Christian Worship and Country for when I just want a little background music while I work.
Music truly does inspire and help with moods, so if you’re having a hard time getting yourself focused, head on over and start up your own personal station.
Cool Website Alert! Mac Users Check it Out
http://www.opensourcemac.org/
Just found this website while looking around at graphics software options. I use (and love) Adobe Photoshop and Image Ready but that definitely doesn’t fit into everyone’s budget so alternatives are good to know.
Open Source Mac brings together a great list of free software including Word Processors, Browsers, Mail, FTP, Audio, Video and more.
Check it out!
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
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