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Archive for September, 2010

Giving Yourself Credit

September 30th, 2010

Maria Helm

One of the reasons we often don’t feel successful is we never give ourselves credit. We tend to downplay our achievement, especially in front of our family and friends. Before we know it, we’re practically denying we ever attained anything. But many successful people do revel in their achievements, covering the walls of their offices and homes with their photographs, and magazine covers, displaying awards on their mantels. They’ve succeeded, and not only does the world applaud them, they congratulate themselves.

I experienced an awakening one day when I was rewriting my resume for a new venture. As I listed my accomplishments, I wondered “Who is this woman? Do I know her? Do I have multiple personalities?” For if detectives arrived at my door to search for her, they wouldn’t have found a shred of physical evidence. So I started searching for clues, rescuing proof that mountains had been climbed from cardboard boxes buried somewhere in the garage. I took some of my favorite memorabilia – my college graduation picture, college diploma, professional certifications – to the framers. When I hung them up in our living room, I stood back and looked at them the way a stranger might. Wow! It was astounding, exhilarating, stupefying. Then I began to congratulate myself out loud for jobs well done. Now I seize moments of achievement by making them concrete. Having the physical evidence of accomplishment has gone a long way toward making me feel successful.

Although it may crown you Queen for a Day (or King), the world cannot confer the recognition that will make you feel fulfilled. Only you can. So chill a bottle of champagne and toast yourself upon the completion of a creative project, personal accomplishment, professional achievement. Can we really afford to wait for the world’s approval? “I am doomed to an eternity of compulsive work,” Bette Davis confessed in her memoir, The Lonely Life. “No set goal achieved satisfies. Success only breeds a new goal. The golden apple devoured has seeds. It is endless.”

Photo Credit: Bruce Berrien CC

Posted in Motivation

Tags: Attitude, Self-help, Success, Values

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Ways to Prevent the Most Common Web Meeting Errors

September 23rd, 2010

Maria Helm

Can you remember your first virtual meeting? For some of you, it was in the late 20th century, and you called it a “teleconference.” It was an expensive proposition.

Not anymore. Virtual meetings save you a boatload of money nowadays. And they are relatively simple. In this day and age, that’s a good strategy for a business owner. In fact, getting up and running with Web conferencing software today is so low-cost and easy that virtually anyone with a PC and an Internet connection can do it.

If it’s that easy, how much harder can holding a Web conference be? Careful. You can make mistakes. And blowing a Web meeting can cost your business money — either in lost sales (if it’s a sales presentation) or in lost productivity (if it’s a staff meeting).

So, before you jump into a Web conference, let’s review some of the most common Web conferencing errors, and discuss what can be done to prevent them.

1. You’re having a Web meeting — but you probably should have had a face-to-face meeting. A Web meeting isn’t a substitute for every kind of meeting. The No. 1 mistake small businesses often make is thinking that this affordable technology will actually eliminate their travel budget. A Web meeting is not a good way to start a relationship. You can’t read the expression on the participants’ faces; you can’t see their body language.

2. You’re not using the technology effectively. OK, so there are things you can’t do during a Web meeting — such as look out into the audience to see if anyone is snoozing. But there are other things you can and should do.Use polls, ask questions, engage the audience through the interactive features available to you. Your meeting participant will appreciate the attention and you’ll be able to gauge effectiveness and share results in real time.

3. You don’t have an effective presenter or facilitator. Delivery of the meeting is an area in which small businesses still lack experience, good reference models and tools that facilitate the effective management of a live online meeting. The ability to provide appropriate visuals, supporting

Posted in Virtual Office

Tags: Virtual, Web conference, Web meeting

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Know What’s Important

September 8th, 2010

Maria Helm

Know what’s important and make time for yourself! Below are helpful tips on how to manage your time better:

First and foremost, get your rest! The more rested you are, the more you can accomplish in a shorter period. If you’re tired, you’re usually slower, rework more and end up even more exhausted. Take care of yourself!
Become a champion at minimizing the work you take home. Leave enough time to recharge your battery.
Go to lunch at 11:00 AM or 1:00 PM to save time both in the line and the time that it takes to get your food. Going to lunch at noon will conservatively cost you at least 15 minutes a day.
* Start our day the night before! Update your task list and calendar and put items needed for work the net day in your car the night before.
Accomplish tasks electronically. Pay your bill, buy your postage, order groceries online.
Worry is a time and energy robber. It’s natural to worry, but you can shorten the time between when you start worrying and when you begin doing something about it.

Posted in Goal-setting

Tags: Attitude, Manage time, Save time, Time

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Should I Use A Business Credit Card?

September 2nd, 2010

Maria Helm

There are both advantages and disadvantages to using a business credit card. Small business owners should carefully weigh their options before just applying for the first business credit card offer that they receive in the mail.

It’s quite common for new business owners to instantly be blasted with all kinds of snail mail marketing targeted towards new business owners the very week that they first form their LLC or corporation because many different marketing organizations obtain lists of newly formed businesses (since much of this information is publicly available on various state business regulation government websites). One popular type of product that is marketed towards many new business owners include business credit cards and business lines of credit.

Be sure to do your homework before applying for a business credit card or for that matter any type of financial product for your business. Here are some things that you should know as you research whether or not a business credit card is a good fit for your company’s goals.

Spending Protection

One major advantage to using a credit card to make purchases is the fraud protection. Like most other business owners I love shopping at Amazon.com, Staples.com, etc. to find the cheapest prices on office supplies and other items needed for my business BUT in some cases you may need to make an online purchase from an unfamiliar retailer. If you make your online (or offline) purchases at any retailer and there is fraudulent activity on your credit card then almost every credit card company will immediately take care of the problem with zero liability on your end. This is contrasted to making online payments with a debit card that may or may not have comprehensive fraud protection.

Potential for Abuse

All forms of business credit whether business loans, business credit cards, etc. carry the potential for mismanagement and abuse. There are both smart ways to use business credit and some very decidedly dumb ways to use business credit as well.

One smart strategy is to put as many purchases as possible on a business cash back credit card and then pay off the balance in full each month. As you can see from a cash back calculator those cash back savings can start to add up after any amount of time.

Posted in Uncategorized

Tags: budget, business credit, Business credit card, business spending, Small Business

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