Business Tools | Ja-Naé Duane

Category Archives: Business Tools

Mobile Working: The Hub

December 10, 2012 – 1:04 pm

While over in London last month, I had a chance to stop by The Hub to check out one of their three locations. When we arrived at the Islington location, Debbie came and greeted us. I felt like I was home. She was gracious enough to show us around this converted warehouse space, which had a mix of warm and cozy with hipster chic. Take a look: If you are ever in London, I would definitely check them out. They also have a global network of “Hubs.” There could be one where you’re traveling to next. Related Posts How to Live Anywhere and Love It How to Freelance How to Start a Startup (Complimentary Ebook) Photo Credit: The Hub

By Ja-Naé | Also posted in Entrepreneurship, Uncategorized | Tagged benefits of coworking, cowork, coworking, coworking blog, coworking london, future of work, future work, i work remotely, jelly coworking, mobile working, remotely working, the future of work, the hub, to work remotely, what is remote working, work from your home, work in the future, working future, working remotely | Comments (0)

The Art of Free and How to Ask for Advice

November 30, 2012 – 12:30 pm

We all need help in some way or another. When that time comes, we go to the people who we think can help; those who have done it before, or have that specific skill that we are seeking out. And once we target the right person (or people), we reach out and ask. However, most of the time when we need help, we are thinking of just that. But there is an obvious flip side that within this social age that we take for granted. And that is: nothing is free. Nothing. Everything you do, read, create, share, love, hate, and breathe costs something. And the question at the end of the ask is who is paying? Many of us are asked to do things for free all the time. In response to a request, Erika Napoletano of Redhead Writing, posted this yesterday: Though I love this list and may take her up on a few of them, there are a few great lessons here: 1. The Ask Depends on The Relationship: If you want people to do things for you, then you need to do twice as much for them. The ask is built on the relationship that is created. [...]

By Ja-Naé | Also posted in Entrepreneurship, Marketing, Strategy, Uncategorized | Tagged art of free, ask for advice, business advice, business development, business link, business resources, business strategy, entrepreneur businesses, Erika Napoletano, free advice, free business advice, how to freelance, how to live anywhere, how to start a startup, new business owners, Redhead Writing, running a business, where can i ask questions | Comments (0)

A Tribute: 5 Vital Lessons Learned from Zig Ziglar

November 28, 2012 – 11:02 am

Zig Ziglar. I remember when I first saw that name. It was around Christmas time. My father and I were in a bookstore shopping for ourselves instead of for the 10 people on our list. We loved shopping for books together. As I was making a B-line for Stephen King, I saw the name “Zig Ziglar” in bold letters on this sales book. At the time, I was getting more and more into marketing, sales and negotiating because I knew that it would help my performance career one day. So, I grabbed this book, sat down in the aisle, and started devouring it. It was the first sales book I ever read. In loving of Mr. Ziglar, here are some lessons I have learned from him: 1. If you can dream it, then you can achieve it. You will get all you want in life if you help enough other people get what they want. People are more than willing to help you achieve your goals, but they want to know that you are invested in them as well. Go out of your way each day to try and help others get to where they need to go. 2. Your attitude, not [...]

By Ja-Naé | Also posted in Strategy, Uncategorized | Tagged quotes by zig ziglar, quotes from zig ziglar, quotes of zig ziglar, quotes zig ziglar, who is zig ziglar, zig quotes, zig ziglar, zig ziglar quotes, zig zigler, zig zigler quotes, ziglar zig | Comments (2)

Bending Time and The Life I Live

October 24, 2012 – 9:31 am

Recently, I have been thinking a lot about how I spend my time. Mainly because I find myself spending time on things that I don’t care to do or that just don’t matter to me. So, I know that it is time for a reboot of priorities. I am a person who needs multiple things going on at once. Otherwise, I cannot concentration. I constantly crave the need to build something new or create a new work. I guess you can say that it is pretty apparent that I am a creative entrepreneur. But, what about you? Are you doing what you love each day or are you playing the waiting game. Waiting…. For the phone to ring Someone to like your Facebook status For that opportunity to arise For someone to give you permission to begin For a sign. Any sign. Chances are, if you’re waiting, then you will continue to do just that. But, what if you could begin? What if you could take at least a step a day towards living a life where time stops (or flies) and nothing seems like work? Where all you do is play and enjoy what you’re doing? If you could [...]

By Ja-Naé | Also posted in Happiness, Innovation, Spirituality, Strategy, Uncategorized | Tagged do what you love, how do you love, how to live life, life i live, live for life, live life live, online to do list, the living life, things to do list, this life i live, to do list, to do list template, to do lists, to live life | Comments (0)

3 Ways Near Field Communication is Changing the Game for Small Businesses

October 23, 2012 – 11:53 am

Small Businesses are constantly struggling with ways to scale and market. Near Field Communication (NFC) is bridging this gap with the help of Moo, making it this week’s Game Changer. Check it out: But what do you think? Do you think that devices like the IPhone will be more likely to adapt if companies like Moo are beginning to use the technology? Or do you think that NFC will be caught in the usual battles, that could take years to iron out? I would love to hear from you. Want Ja-Nae to review your product or service? Contact her. Related Posts A Game Changer: The Publishing Industry and How to Start Self-Publishing Game Changer: The Rise of the Hacker The Best of Hitchcock: Musings from the Game Changing Birthday Boy image credit: The Verge

By Ja-Naé | Also posted in Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Marketing, Strategy | Tagged a game changer, game changer, game changers, game changing, the game changers | Comments (0)

Passion: What Origami and Kid Entrepreneurs Can Teach Us About Life

October 2, 2012 – 11:59 am

“When I was young, I observed that nine out of ten things I did were failures. So I did ten times more work. ” -George Bernard Shaw There is a lot that can be learned from kids entrepreneurs. Many will start their businesses with the hope to save up for something-like an ipad or a new car. And some start businesses just to do what they love and to give back. Clay is one of those boys. I was traveling Maine this weekend and stopped to see my friends Rob and Megin, along with their awesome kids. During my visit, their 10 year-old Clay, showed me the business that he had started around his origami. Clay has been doing origami for a few years now and loves it. But he is not just trying to sell his creations. 75% of all his proceeds go to an African orphanage and bringing his new adopted sister home from that orphanage. I decided to help out. Above is the stellar dragon I bought. He did a great job, didn’t he? As I went through Clay’s website and meticulously chose the one I would buy, I was reminded of these important lessons: [...]

By Ja-Naé | Also posted in Entrepreneurship, Happiness, Innovation, Strategy, Uncategorized | Tagged characteristic of an entrepreneur, entrepreneur, entrepreneur how to, entrepreneur qualities, famous entrepreneurs, filipino entrepreneur, how to be entrepreneur, how to entrepreneur, passion, passion for, passion in, passion it, passion of, passions, the passion, what is passion, young entrepreneurs | Comments (3)

A Game Changer: The Publishing Industry and How to Start Self-Publishing

September 26, 2012 – 10:22 am

What does it take to become an author? I guess it depends on who you ask. Many people have tried the traditional route of writing book proposals and manuscripts with the hopes that their book would be picked up by a publisher. I have to be honest, that never occurred to me when I self-published my first book, “How to Start Your Business with $100” in 2010. I saw that there was an opportunity to connect directly with an audience that needed this book and figured that was the best way to go about it. And I am not alone. There are a ton of self-published authors who have done the same thing. Luckily, the publishing landscape is vastly changing and allowing for more and more self-published authors to shine through. Check out my Game Changer segment on the ever-changing publishing industry and what it means for authors, as well as consumers. There are many advantages and disadvantages to going either route. Something that I have been struggling with as a self-published author is whether or not I should continue to revamp the second addition of “How to Start Your Business with $100“. Recently a traditionally published book came out [...]

By Ja-Naé | Also posted in Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Strategy, Uncategorized | Tagged $100 startup, a game changer, a t publishers, book to ebook, business partner, game change, game changer, game changing, gamechanger, gamechangers, gamer changers, games changer, how to make a book, how to open a store, how to publishing, how to start, how to start a business, make a book, publishers in, publishers of, publishing, publishing a, publishing industry, running a business, start 100, start up 100, start up entrepreneurs, startup 100, the game changer, the game changers, what is a publisher, writing a book, writing books | Comments (0)

20+ Ways to Reshape the Story and Help Advance Women in Technology

September 25, 2012 – 10:05 am

Reshaping how we tell a story can be difficult if we are really tied to how we tell it. Sometimes, the stories we use for a cause or a belief are no longer relevant. They have to be changed and trust that a new narrative can hold as much weight for the cause. I find that how we tell the story of women in tech is going through this type of metamorphosis. Within the changing landscape of work and the growth of our startup economy, we are seeing more and more female tech founders. The emergence of these founders is fantastic, but just 3% of all tech startups are led by women, according to a Kauffman Foundation report. So, there is definitely room for growth. If you’re a woman working or studying in the field of technology, it’s likely you’re very familiar with the situation of being the only female in the room. I’ve found myself in similar situations in the entrepreneurial community, and it makes you wonder why this is the case – and perhaps more importantly, what can we do to change it? Research has shown that grade school is where many girls make the switch from thinking computers [...]

By Ja-Naé | Also posted in Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Strategy, Uncategorized | Tagged a powerful woman, become a female hero, education of woman, education woman, feminism, Kauffman Foundation report, landscape of work, startup economy, the career woman, the most powerful woman, the startup economy, wit, woman for woman, woman international, women and technology, women technology | Comments (0)

Work Design: The New Workforce and Being More Productive

September 12, 2012 – 11:20 am

I realized at a recent dinner party that the majority of people I know now work from home. This includes self-employed entrepreneurs like me as well as former office workers who have convinced management to allow them to work remotely. Many use this freedom to travel, while others just work from home. This is a trend that is increasing as technological growth has enabled many office workers to telecommunicate. A Forrester survey expects the number of telecommuters to reach 63 million by 2016. This infographic you can view here best illustrates the trend. Check it out: The common opposition to telecommunicating is that people who work from home will produce less without the watchful eyes of supervisors monitoring their work habits. However, a Staples survey reveals that the opposite is actually true in this article. 86% say they are more productive, while most also say they have less stress, eat healthier, and are more willing to put in extra time and grow more loyal to their companies. This information flies in the face of what many of our nation’s bosses still believe. You can use this information as ammunition if you want to convince your supervisor that they should let you work [...]

By Ja-Naé | Also posted in Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Strategy, Uncategorized | Tagged being more productive, benefits of working remotely, design work life, freelance forum, freelancer, freelancers, more productive, remote work, remote working, the freelancer, the new workforce, work design, work free, work remote, work remotely, working design | Comments (0)

Game Changer: The Rise of the Hacker

September 7, 2012 – 12:54 pm

The hacker. Glorified in many ways by movies such as The Matrix. But with over 12 million Apple UDIDs stolen and Mitt Romney’s tax returns being held for ransom, one has to ask whether or not any of our data is safe within the cloud. And the bigger question becomes: What can we do about it? Check out my Game Changer episode where I talk about how the rise of the hacker is changing the game on online security and accountability. Related Posts Nikola Tesla: Birthday Boy and the Untold Story Game Changer: Transmedia Storytelling for the Little Guy Game Changer: Homeless Hotspots, Street Treat & Next Steps