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Archive for November 2009

Surviving the holiday with 3 things we tend to forget.

By MOAImport · Comments (0)
Monday, November 23rd, 2009
stress elf

I am writing this article, the week of Thanksgiving.  There is enough to do with the short work week and now I am doing what I tell my clients not to do – procrastinate.  I try to write regularly but as of late I have no ideas – blank, nada, nothing.  Hence the procrastination of posting blog articles.  This got me to thinking about how I will survive the holidays.  Now I am sure you are being inundated with tips for time management and getting through the next month, so I will take a different approach.

Three things about the holidays that we tend to forget.

  1. The holidays are a time to celebrate with family and friends. Now I know as a business owner you have a business to run, profits to make and customer to service.  Nevertheless how effective will you be if you cannot take a little time to enjoy your support system.  Take the day for yourself, turn off the computer (yikes, yes I said, turn off the computer) and cell phone too.  I am not sure how important you really are but you can afford one day, possibly two.
  2. Don’t feel guilty. Yes it is hard to step away for 24 hours or even 48 but it can be done.  And since you are taking that all important step to forget business for that period, enjoy it.  Feeling guilty or constant worry about what you are missing will defeat the whole purpose.  Laugh at uncle Harry’s corny joke, watch an uninterrupted football game and linger at the table after the meal, anything but business will do.
  3. Reflect on the year that will soon be behind you. And not just the good stuff.  I am one to believe that everything happens for a reason and you cannot grow without learning from your mistakes.  Begin there, with your missteps.  Concentrate on what you can do better and how you will get that accomplished.

Now those are the three things that I feel we tend to forget as we try to get through the holidays.  If you take a step back and enjoy the view then the holidays are not so bad.  What will you do to get through the holiday season?

All the best,

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Categories : Best Business Practices, Personal Growth
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Common misconceptions for small business owners

By MOAImport · Comments (0)
Sunday, November 15th, 2009

Running and owning a small business is no easy feat as I have discovered first-hand. These are a few things that I have picked up along the way. I hope you will find these four misconceptions handy in your quest to start and build your business.

Success
Image by aloshbennett via Flickr

I don’t need a website – Every business, regardless of size needs a web presence. Even if it is as basic as your company information,  products/services and  contact information. When I am looking for services or products the first place that I go, like many others, is the web. So even a basic free hosted site or blog will make the world of difference to your business.

Social media will not help my business - Social media is not for everyone and can be all consuming if you let it.  However, it is also a way to build and strengthen your community. Adding social media to your marketing plan is an excellent way to network and build unique relationships with people you would otherwise never meet. Start with a simple plan to participate and engage then go from there.

I know what I need so there is no need to update - When you stop learning, you and your business become stagnant. This gives your competition a huge leg up as they continue to build their knowledge and tweak their processes. There are so many free and inexpensive resources available to you today that there really is no reason to not update your skills. Find the one area where you lack and start there by looking for webinars, blogs, forums and even classes.

Etiquette is so passé - I really am passionate about this one. In these changing technology times we so often forget the basic etiquette that we were taught as a child. When you fail to practice common etiquette, you show that your time is more important than others. Start by putting that cell phone away while you are meeting with colleagues or even clients. And don’t forget a great handshake and simple introduction will leave a lasting impression.

What were common misconceptions that you have overcome while starting and growing your business? What steps did you take to tackle them head on?

All the best,

Related Links:

Office Depot Webcafe

Ed2Go

Protocol Inc./The Polished Professional

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Should you have friends review your web site?

By MOAImport · Comments (0)
Sunday, November 1st, 2009

This very interesting question came up at one of the events I was attending.  I was talking about how I had my site reviewed by a very skilled individual and they offered me advice based on a clients perspective instead of my own. Well that got the ball rolling and now the comments that followed where “my friends all like my site so why should I pay someone to do it”.  And here is my response….

It is great to have business friends and colleagues review and critique your site.  Many times they will find grammar or even (gasp!) spelling errors.  They also will look at it from a business standpoint and offer opinions that they have based on professional expertise.  They will also will know what is appealing to the eye and what information they are looking for when visiting other business sites.

However, you should not have family and friends review your site because, well to be honest, their opinion will be biased.  They will look at your site from a personal point just like you have done when building it and if it is bad, will not tell you how bad it is.  Friends and family will also not look at your site as your business calling card but more of a “Hey they have a site!”.

So what should you do?  You can post to your site to professional forums that you belong to and ask for critiques.  Be ready for honest opinions and feedback.  You can ask other professionals in your field for their opinions, remember however this is your competition.  Or you can hire someone to review and critique your site.  Which I think is a best option because it is an unbiased opinion.

I would suggest you have your site reviewed for both content and visual flow.  This may mean that you will need two evaluations.  The concept is to attract clients to your website so therefore it must be interesting as well as look interesting.  You will need to know if you are hitting the right keywords, conveying the correct message and getting the right clients to view your services/products.

All the best,

Lee Drozak ~ My Office Assistant

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