Author Archive
Meeting Up
Posted by: | CommentsWith so much electronic communication, I know that many of you are as hungry as I am for more in-person connections. Twitter, texting, e-mail, and Skype are fine for business or for personal outreach and updates, but nothing takes the place of a good old fashioned sit-down talk, or a person-to-person meeting with your friend, business client, or potential vendor.
With so many meetings and scheduled discussions, we often don’t have enough time left over for the gentle art of conversation.
Here are some ideas for you to work with others in your business and to foster a culture of understanding, mutual respect, and knowledge of the others with whom you’re working. As you’re planning out the annual schedule, consider options to foster this kind of time together. True collaboration comes from a sense of a shared mission, and meeting up with others will help you develop that sense of comfort, familiarity, and an appreciation of “being on the same team”.
For your company to reach out to potential clients:
- Monthly breakfast outreach
- Cocktail hour
- Holiday party (pick any holiday)
- Volunteering event – work on a specific charity or philanthropic mission
- Art gallery opening
Move your Idea into Reality
Posted by: | CommentsThe editor’s message in a recent Dwell issue has an insightful comment about ideas that makes me think — hard. He suggests that a good place to store your ideas is in the real world. Meaning you create and envision and idealize and thoroughly understand something in your mind, and then you physically bring that into reality.
As a web developer, I feel a lot of kinship with architects and designers who must configure something in their mind and then “get it out onto paper” and from there move it into a physical object. I believe that the same skills to move ideas into reality can be applied to life and personal development.
Looking for a great place to live? Identifying your core strengths? Understanding who is your best choice for a mate? Thinking about a new endeavor, project, or job search? All of these can be envisioned, “The Secret” style, and then brought into our physical plane of existence, from the ether.
In my own life, this has happened with my spouse, my job, my house, and my children. I continue to review and refine what is important to me (see my Visionboard 2012) on a regular basis, and my hope is that as my mind attains greater clarity of vision, my experience of life moves into closer alignment with that frame of reference.
Value for your Community
Posted by: | CommentsIf you sell something to your community of clients, and they receive some measure of enjoyment, appreciation, usage, or some other measure of value out of your product or service, then you’re fulfilling the role your company exists to play.
Entrepreneurs exist to create value for the economy: this is the primary benefit they offer.
Without a special group of someones bringing good ideas to market, we would have none of the amenities and treats we take for granted today, like ice cream, clothes, cell phones, cars, energy, even the food on your plate.
Unless you grow your own food and create all your own tools and clothing, you’re participating in the economy in some way, so you too are dependent on the strength of entrepreneurs.
If you have an idea about something, or you have some intuition about what you think would be a valuable product or service — then I truly believe it’s in your best interest — and our best interest, too — for you to follow through with that idea.
Get the help, support, counseling, and financing you need to get your idea to market. If you don’t try, you won’t know, but if you do try, you can either a) fail, or b) succeed. Either way, you’ll know for sure.
Get your Idea off the Ground – Green Business Startup Capital through GreenFunder.com
Posted by: | CommentsThe new crowdfunding website GreenFunder.com offers a unique tool for innovators, entrepreneurs, and creators who have a burning desire to raise money and awareness for their socially responsible, sustainable, or green project.
Socially responsible projects = benefit a person, community or the environment
Crowdfunding = accomplishing a goal by pooling money from a large group of people
Co-founders Molly Rasmussen and Stason Strong invite you to become a part of the GreenFunder community – the site eliminates the expense and risk of starting a green project, while focusing on building the environmental community and the “buy local” movement.
“Instead of developing a business plan, looking for investors and loans, producing and then testing the [startup] product, GreenFunder allows you to test and market your product before spending a dime. We love GreenFunder because anyone can use it to get their ideas off the ground,” says Rasmussen.
To GreenFunder, a green project is “anything with good intentions.” Projects creators may include a full description of the desired outcome, as well as multi-media enhancements like a video link and multiple screenshots and images. Project creators may offer “rewards” to funders at different levels, and a project only receives funding if it receives full support within its deadline.
Belief in your Own Abilities
Posted by: | CommentsI’ve realized that a belief in your own abilities will carry you much longer and farther than if you put your trust, faith, and hope in other people’s opinions. I do recommend you build a team of people with strengths different from yours, so you can get overlap and a diversity of perspectives. However, if you’re in leadership at your organization or business and you believe in the viability of your idea, then you make the call – move forward with your idea.
Have the strength of your convictions. Don’t wait for latecomers, naysayers, or negative people to quash your idea, especially if the timing is right, the window is closing, or the door just opened.
Confidence and belief in your own abilities go both ways: if you believe in something, move forward with it. If you don’t believe in something, then don’t move forward with it. No amount of convincing from other people will get you to change your own mind either way, so don’t expend energy doing something against your own nature.
Leaving your Job to Follow your Passion
Posted by: | CommentsI am a big fan of people following their passion, as I believe it energizes the individual and helps our overall world when people are engaged and enthusiastic with what they do.
If you are realizing that your current job is not a good fit and you’d like to try something new, I recommend you pursue some self-inventorying resources such as “What Color is My Parachute?” if you haven’t already prioritized A) what types of skills are your favorite to use and B) the kind of workplace where you want to use the skills.
If you’re aware about a specific career path, identify what your ideal setup looks like. For example, is your work project-based, or is it for 10 months of the year, or a few hours every day including weekends? Are you on call to an established company who can handle leads for you? Or do you want to do consulting to a community of locally-owned businesses?
If you’re not yet aware of a specific career path, identify people in your existing world: research the arts, finance, the restaurant business, the entertainment business, non-profit management, teaching, or something else — identify people who love what they do, so you can learn from their example.
Prove Yourself
Posted by: | CommentsWhat are you afraid of? What turns your legs to jelly? What gives you heart palpitations
? Perhaps your fear is the pathway to your greatest triumph.
Believe that your current, most pressing, most disturbing issue is here to give you insight, awareness, strength, and renewed vigor in your purpose here on Earth.
Perhaps you’re dealing with personnel or relationship issues. Perhaps cash flow is your big bugaboo. Perhaps your health is failing you. Perhaps there is a looming deadline, obstacle, or road block that clouds your upcoming vision.
Clarify. Concentrate. Understand…. then push forward.
Prove yourself — earn the respect that you know you deserve. Prove yourself by rising to the current challenge. Prove that you’re worth it, and prove that you expect these types of issues because you have the strength, grace, and courage to cope.
Prove that you can be a leader.
Prove that you can be a mentor.
Prove that you can excel in your current endeavor.
Prove that you are doing what you’re doing because you have a higher calling. Prove that your current situation in your business or your job is the best fit between the world’s need and your unique abilities.
Telecommuting for your Business?
Posted by: | CommentsMore and more women are choosing to telecommute, and more companies are coming up with family-friendly, flexible work-from-home and telecommuting options. Some estimates show that almost 40% of the working population are able to work from home at least part of the time, without a loss in productivity.
If you’re looking into developing a telecommuting plan for yourself or for your office, here are the items to consider:
1) Telecommuters need adequate ways to check in with other office mates, such as through Skype, IRC, or scheduled conference calls.
2) Telecommuters need comfortable and adequate supplies such as office equipment, computer supplies, or manufacturing supplies necessary for accomplishing their work.
3) The company is liable for computers or other hardware: sensitive information should not be stored on computers that are going home with employees.
4) Performance should be a main indicator of success (not time on the job). The number of hours logged does not often correlate with the quality of work: for evaluation purposes, always consider performance to be an indicator of a telecommuter’s success.
Health, Wellness, and a Giveaway to WomenonBusiness Readers
Posted by: | CommentsAs the holidays draw near, many of us get ready with resolutions for the next year. I’m focusing on health and fitness, and to that end I’m inviting you to join me.
We’re having a giveaway for a $75 gift certificate to any product (out of the millions of items available) from CSN Stores. This online retailer offers everything from bedroom furniture, luggage, shoes and bags, home and garden accessories, and also living room and dining furniture, like this chest of drawers.
To enter for a chance to win (United States and Canada residents only):
How to enter:
1) Become a member of FreeThrive.com http://freethrive.com/user/register by December 17, 2010
2) Follow @monicadear and @freethrive on Twitter and let us know your username at FreeThrive.com
That’s it!
One chance per person.
Winner will be picked using random.org
Must be 18 or older to participate.
Contest ends at 11:59pm Pacific Standard Time on December 17, 2010.
Good luck!
$75 CSN Giveaway for WomenonBusiness.com Readers
Posted by: | CommentsCSN, the fastest-growing online shopping center in the world, offers millions of items from furniture, to dining sets, to home and office supplies, to fitness equipment, to luggage and shoes at 200+ online stores. For your holiday shopping, consider looking at CSN’s collection of nightstands and other bedroom furniture.
We’re giving away a $75 gift card to one lucky WomenonBusiness.com reader – you may use this gift certificate at *any* of the CSN stores.
To enter, please do the following:
1) Follow @monicadear @womenonbusiness
2) Tweet this exactly:
@monicadear @womenonbusiness http://bit.ly/d3jVLU I appreciate…
and then fill in the blank with something that you appreciate.
For example, your twitter status might read: @monicadear @womenonbusiness http://bit.ly/d3jVLU I appreciate how my grandparents are healthy and strong
3) That’s it. We’ll be checking the exact link http://bit.ly/d3jVLU.
One chance per person.
Winner will be picked using random.org
Must be 18 or older to participate.
Must be based in the United States or Canada.
Contest ends at 11:59pm Pacific Standard Time on November 15, 2010.
No comments necessary — we are checking the exact link on Twitter.
Good luck!
Want more chances to win?
