inside the office

I came across this quote the other day:

“Appreciative words are the most powerful force for good on earth.”
Dr. George W. Crane

It resonates with me especially lately because of a gift that I received the other day. A few weeks ago, an associate contacted me, asking about how she could start a blog. She had a great topic that she thought other women would be interested in, and wanted to share her thoughts with others in a similar situation. While a talented writer, she is not at tall familiar with code, and didn’t know where to start. I offered to install the blog software on her server for her and throw in a template or two to help her out. It took maybe an hour of my time, and I was happy to do it.

Last week, UPS arrives at my door with a package. I was curious to see the return address from a popular gift website. Inside I found a trio of Egglings (plants that grow in eggs – how cute!) and a card that read, “That which comes easily to you is valuable to others.” These few appreciative words put a smile on my face for the rest of the weekend. In fact, every time I look at the Egglings, which I still have yet to hatch, I smile again. I just wanted to help out a friend – I didn’t expect anything in return. And yet, what I got is immeasurable.

When was the last time you did a favor, without expecting anything in return? And what did you get? The most powerful force on Earth? I completely agree.

Everything has to get done – but do you have to do it?

Small business owners wear many hats, and sometimes it’s hard to remember to take one or two of them off. Think of your many job descriptions, a determine which ones you really like doing. Out of the remainder, determine which you can outsource to a reliable professional. How about a virtual professional? By delegating some of the chores of running a business, you get to actually do what you’re good at and what you like doing. After all, isn’t that why you started your business in the first place?

Make a date – with your business!

Ask any veteran business owner and they will tell you that the key to being successful is planning. Creating a business plan as part of your start-up can help you determine how much initial capital you’ll need, who your competition is, and how to position yourself for the best exposure. Your business plan continues to be important after you’re up and running – maybe even more so. Make a date with yourself once, twice, even four times a year, to review your business plan. Evaluate what strategies worked and which didn’t, review your current operating expenses, and draft a budget based on upcoming expenditures and opportunities.

“State of the Business” address

The president does it once a year, why shouldn’t you? Review your contracts with vendors and suppliers. Do they still meet your needs? Can you renegotiate for a better rate or larger quantities? Then take a look at your customer arrangements. If you have contracts, review them and determine if they need to be updated to include new policies. Do you need to raise prices to compensate for higher expenses? Now is also a good time to inform your customers of these changes and when they will take effect.

Enrich your mind

Is there a new skill that you’ve been wanting to learn, but don’t have time for a formal class? The opportunities to learn online abound – and many are free. Search for free classes to complement your current business skills, such as bookkeeping or marketing. Or maybe just something for fun. Plus, many cities and towns have Adult Education classes for all sorts of things like cooking, pottery and dancing, for free or nominal charges.

Make a date – with yourself!

Small business owners, especially those that work from home, often find it hard to separate their business and personal lives. If you find yourself falling into this routine, do something about it. Once a week, put time on your calendar to not work. Take time off to get your nails done, have coffee with a friend, or just sit and read a book. If you don’t take time for yourself, you just may end up finding yourself burnt out and your work performance could pay the price.

If you’ve ever taken a programming class, you may know that “Hello, World!” is traditionally the first project that you create. Even blogs, as installed on your server, come with the default “Hello, World!” initial post. Well, I’ve decided to stick with the tradition. This, my inaugural blog post, shall remain entitled “Hello, World!”
Web-savvy marketers will tell you that a blog is essential to the success of the modern business. Why? Because blogs, as well as other Web 2.0 tools, allow your customers to interact with you. Gone are the days of one-sided conversations between businesses and their audience. Blogs, social networking, social bookmarking, RSS feeds and podcasts all allow for increased interactivity with your audience. Personally, I’m a huge fan.
Before Web 2.0 initiaitives, the only ways for businesses to know what their customers were thinking usually involved huge amounts of energy, resources, time, and money, for a considerably low return. If you sent out surveys to your customers, how many do you think you would get back? What about organizing a focus group? These methods may absolutely still be applicable to the modern business model, and now there are so many more options to choose from.
Another great plus of increased interactivity? It’s more immediate. I post this blog today, and how long do you think it will be before someone comments? Well, okay. Maybe that’s a poor example because, as a new blog in the blogosphere, it could be a while before someone lands on mine. But consider the immediate impact of posts to blogs for large, well-known companies.
I’m excited to see who comes to visit my blog, and what they have to say. I’m excited to be able to share with my audience the many tips, resources, and business suggestions that are swirling around in my head each day. And as I sign off on this, my maiden blog voyage, I ask you to tune in to more thoughts from beyond…