Archive for Work at Home/Telecommute
Get over it! (…the fear of being your own boss, that is)
Posted by: | CommentsLately I’ve been experiencing higher than normal anxiety, the fear that maybe it won’t all work out and heavy reliance on emotional support from friends and family. The reason for acting this way, and being totally uncool, is that I have finally decided to follow my dream of being my own boss.
That’s right, after several years of working for others while wishing I was working for myself, I have taken the plunge into the entrepreneurial pool. At times a bit overwhelming (i.e. when creating my logo, designing my website, starting the business plan, etc. ) but at other times it is highly rewarding (i.e. when you sit down with a client and get some highly creative work done).
My business is fairly new but I remain optimistic. The key to staying positive when working for yourself is to plan, plan, plan! So I have some tips for how to stay organized and motivated, and therefore, not to be fearful of having your own business.
1) Plan your day from the night before. Write down all the important things that need to be done and do them one by one. Master the art of “mono-tasking”.
2) Mono-task! I heard about this new concept from an article from Forbes.com that a client of mine sent to me. The art of mono-tasking means to spend an allotted amount of time on one task at a time. What a concept! In a world where we are told to strut our multi-tasking abilities, mono-tasking tells us that it is okay to do one task at a time – you’ll get more quality work done! So put away your BlackBerry and stop checking your e-mail for the next hour, it’s time to mono-task!
3) Start your morning with a nice cup of coffee and read something motivational. Whether it’s an article from an entrepreneurial magazine re: a success story, an e-mail from a friend telling you how proud they are of you starting your own business, or if it’s just a motivational Tweet. Whatever it is, find it, read it and stay motivated!
4) Don’t be lazy. Wake up early and remember your goals and where you want to be in a year to five years from now. Work towards those goals each day.
5) Exercise and eat right. I kept reading about this and how important it is for your mind and body and didn’t really give it much thought until I started my business. It makes a huge difference when I eat right and have time to squeeze in a trip to the gym – you feel re-energized and motivated. So if you’re too tired to get to the gym, at the risk of sounding like a slogan for a famous sportswear company, just do it!
Until next week, stay motivated.
Women and Men: Different Perspectives
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We really are different. Our brains are different, as well as the outlook on what is important. I believe we can help each other see new and critical points of view. I also believe we need to give each other space to be ourselves.
Often the best way to say “vive la difference” is through humor. Stephen Kapustin, a lawyer in Philadelphia is a graduate of our Total Leadership Connections program. He is a seeker of truth through humor, and has sent me so many funny articles to get my laughter valve open on many a dreary day.
The following has so many elements of deep truth. Women love to explore the emotions of a situation, while many men want to get to the solution quickly and move on. Let me know if your male business partners remind you of this guy. I must admit that my business partner, who is also my husband, would respond like the man in the column.
In fact, when I showed this to Herb, he looked at me and said “So, what’s funny about that?” What answer would you give to that question???
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Partnership for the New Year
Posted by: | CommentsThis is a wish for all of us – female, male, young, old, every color and part of the planet. Let’s include the animals, trees, and every living thing.
Women are the leaders in partnership thinking; we learn it from the very beginning of our journey from womb to tomb. We are hard-wired to think about systems and how they fit together. We are internally programmed every month from adolescence to elder years to understand the ebb and flow of life, from the ebb and flow of the months. Each month we are somehow aligned with the moon as we menstruate and continually let go of old matter to make way for the new.
Whether we choose to have biological children or not, we are truly “in the flow” of what nature has prepared for us, to continue to nurture our species. In this decade, where there are so many polarities, so many who stand for right and wrong without even attempting to find a middle ground, it is up to us, the women, to lead the way to partnership.
No, this is not an easy position. It takes real leadership to say “Let’s find another way, a way that will honor all sides”. I do believe we can start with our primary partners, and begin a dialogue that will enhance ourselves and the next generations to come.
The dialogue is what women know – that all things are connected and no one wins unless we all do. This thinking is so basic to our very nature and it is time to take a strong stand that we can, with good will, work together to make real and sustainable change happen on this war-torn and bruised planet.
It’s about you, it’s about me, it’s about time!
The Untapped Talent Pool – Stay-at-Home Moms
Posted by: | CommentsI published the following post well over a year ago, but I want to republish it now because I think it’s just as true and valid now (if not more so) than it was in early 2008. We’ve come so far, but there is much work to do to level the playing field in the business world and eliminate the gender gap. Unconventional thinking like that discussed below is just one way to get there.
Ever since I left the corporate world in 2004 to be a stay-at-home mom to my triplets, I’ve wondered something. It’s not rocket science. In fact, this thought seems so simple to me, so obvious and makes such sense that it’s beyond my comprehension why more companies haven’t considered it. Ready for my genius? Here you go:
Why don’t more companies hire stay-at-home moms (or dads) as consultants, freelancers or as telecommuting employees? Many of us have an enormous amount of experience and knowledge in our respective fields garnered from our years working prior to choosing to stay at home with our children, and if you let us work from home and make our own hours, we’ll probably be willing to work for a lot less money and produce superior results.
What? Mr. CEO says that he needs employees who are available to be in the office during business hours. I call bull!
What? Mr. CEO says that he can’t trust someone with kids around to complete work on time. I call major bull! Read More→
Wait a Minute Mr. Postman…
Posted by: | CommentsPostage is one of those necessary expenses that most of us don’t think deserves a second thought. The cost of postage is fixed, and it’s really not that inconvenient to have to run to the Post Office or UPS store to get a package out the door on time, right? Well, not exactly. Most business owners would be surprised to find out how much money they waste “rounding up” by placing to many stamps on outgoing mail- many waste thousands of dollars a year by not calculating postage exactly. Using a postage meter not only helps you save big on costs, it can also help you become more efficient- you’ll be able to get packages out the door without the added trips to shipment centers. A postage meter, or a digital mail system, is a great tool for businesses that rely on mailed correspondences, or that ship products to customers directly. Here’s a quick guide to choosing and using a postage meter: Read More→
