Reprint Terms: You are welcome to reprint any articles from this website, provided you include the resource box
at the bottom of the article with my copyright and active (clickable) website link. Thank you!
Working with a virtual assistant or other professional to help you with some of the routine tasks in your small business can be a great decision and free up your time to focus on your income generating activities. But delegate wisely! Don’t delegate what you can automate. Save time and money by automating these six [...]
Don’t let your email newsletter get tossed into the virtual trash can before it’s opened, or lead your customers to the wrong place when they’re ready to purchase. Be sure you aren’t making these three common mistakes.
1) A non-descriptive or vague “From” line
Don’t put “newsletter” in the “from” line. No one will know which newsletter [...]
Do you know where your business will be in 6 months? 1 year? 2 years? 5 years? Do you know what steps you need to take to reach those goals? Are your daily actions brining you closer to your goals or are you just “spinning your wheels”? Are your business systems and processes supporting your [...]
If you’re running Magento Commerce on shared hosting, loading speed can be a challenge. Slow loading websites cause customers to click away and shop elsewhere.
Before you begin working to optimize your website, test your speed with a tool like webpageanalyzer.com or iwebtool.com/speed_test Run several tests at different times of the day to get a better [...]
Are you drowning in email? Got dozens or hundreds of messages in your inbox waiting for you to sort through and respond to them? Do you feel overwhelmed just thinking about clicking the “check mail” button? Don’t panic! You can overcome that flood of email!
1) Use a Good Spam Filter
Check with your website host to [...]
When you need to reduce your home office expenses, you need to know what your current expenses are, then take time to evaluate your needs and options.
Here are five expenses you can evaluate to reduce your home office costs.
Phone: What are you currently paying for your office phone line(s) each month? Are there options that [...]
If you know you need to slash your small business budget, but aren’t sure how to begin, here are three steps to help you cut responsibly.
1. Analyze
Begin by making a list of all your expenses–daily, weekly, monthly, yearly. Write them all down on paper so you can see exactly what it costs you to operate.
Don’t [...]
As I write this article, I’m on a jet from Seattle to DC. This is article seven in a brainstorm session powered by Seattle’s Best Coffee and scribbled in partial shorthand into a notebook (I’ll polish later, when I’m back on the ground). I’m thoroughly enjoying the feel of pen against real paper. I’m one [...]
Service providers and freelancers often feel under pressure to offer their services to anyone who requests them. But sometimes the best answer is no.
Businesses have unique needs, and every clients has a unique personality. Projects deserve the best “fit” for them.
If you’re ever tried to put a square peg in a round hole, make the [...]
The holiday season can be a test for any work at home mom. It’s challenging enough to juggle business and home on regular days. The holidays can feel like a three-ring circus has moved in. Thankfully there are ways you can make it easier to keep up with it all.
1) Know and Accept Your Limits
You [...]
It’s a newsletter publishers nightmare–being accused of sending spam and then blocked from reaching their subscribers.
One of the most difficult things to deal with is being accused of spamming. It can cause all sorts of frustrations.
If you use a newsletter script hosted on your own website it can result in your IP being blacklisted and [...]
When you get involved with another person or group of people, you need to go in “eyes wide open” as the saying goes. Your JV partner or group is going to reflect on you with their actions so you want to be absolutely sure it will enhance your image and boost customer confidence. It’s also [...]
A common reason for moms to homeschool their children and work from home is that the at-home lifestyle appeals to them. It sounds like an ideal situation – you’re home, the kids are at home, and everyone’s happy.
But juggling a home business with homeschooling usually doesn’t look as peaceful as it might sound. In fact, [...]
What are affiliate programs? Affiliate programs allow you to earn a percentage or set amount on sales of a product or service that you refer a new customer to. Thousands of businesses offer affiliate programs. You get to decide what products or services you’d like to promote.
There are 3 important things to consider when choosing [...]
You’ve probably heard this advice before: You become the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with.
We are influenced in a powerful way by those we choose to spend our time and energy with. This applies not only to your personal life and growth, but also to your business. Creating a supportive [...]
This is a great way to make new customers feel special. Put together a “welcome kit” to send to each new customer that includes customer service resources, helpful information, and promotional details about other products or services you offer.
The “Printable” Customer Welcome Kit
Here are some ideas of what you might include in a printable customer [...]
Absolutely, positively 100%, yes!! You need goals and you need them written down or mapped out, and here’s why…
You’ve probably heard the story about the rocks and the sand. It’s been told and retold and featured in many publications, so here’s just a quick version:
If you picture your life as a jar, and fill it [...]
You can achieve your goals! Here are four tips to help you set your goals, plan to reach them, and succeed.
1) Start small and focused.
Don’t set 100 goals for yourself or you’ll get overwhelmed first. Choose just a couple. Once you’ve accomplished those or made them a habit, then set more.
2) Know your motivations. [...]
When you’re just starting your business online, the policies page is easy to overlook or create too quickly.
Well thought out policies will save you stress and frustration later. Take time now to decide how you will deal with troublesome situations, while you’re unemotional and not in the heat of the situation—it’s much easier to create [...]
12 Focus Finders to Help You in Your Journey
Picture yourself driving down the road in your car. You’ve got so many things to focus on at once. Kids in your car. Other drivers on the road. Your rear view mirror. Your side view mirrors. The speedometer, the gas gauge, the check engine light. The traffic [...]
I take one of four approaches to something I cannot do, do not like, or don’t understand (any of these three reasons make it a “problem area” in my mind).
1) Learn it. I don’t deal well with failure so I just do whatever I have to do to improve. Whether it’s research online, practice/rehearsing, or [...]
Whether or not you believe global warming could be the end of civilization, there are other compelling reasons to take action to be environmentally friendly in your business. Respect for the planet and life all around you is the most basic of those reasons, but here are three others: it will reduce your costs, increase [...]
As 2009 approaches, it’s time to look back at 2008 and evaluate your business. Consider the following questions. They’ll help you identify where things are working, what needs to change, and get some ideas flowing for making 2009 an even better year for your business.
1) Did you have written goals for 2008?
Did you achieve your [...]
