Category Archives: Business Tools

How to Successfully Create a New Habit

May 2, 2011 – 8:04 am
creating good habits creating new habits janae

I was listening to one of my favorite podcasts the other night and there was a discussion whether aptitude or attitude was more important in defining individual success.   I believe attitude is far more important than aptitude.  All the talent, knowledge, and skill in the world will not make someone a success in life if they do not learn how to apply it productively.  I believe those of us who do reach our dreams are usually just the people who have accumulated the best habits. Humans are creatures of habit.  Our bodies and minds want us to be stuck in a comfortable routine of homeostasis.  Subconsciously, your inner self is thinking only about survival and not about success, “I’ve survived this far doing what I’ve always done, so changing can only risk danger.” So picking up a new habit or getting rid of an old one is a lot harder than we think.  We subconsciously fight against such change.  But the ability to form new habits is ultimately the key to success, so I want to share these 6 habit-forming steps with you: 1.       Do it for 30 Days – The common consensus is that it takes about 21 [...]

By Ja-Naé Duane | Also posted in Entrepreneurship, Strategy, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Comments (0)

How to Write Two Books in One Year

April 29, 2011 – 10:45 am
productivity 101 the freelancer janae

People often tell me I’m a busy woman.  But we’re all busy, right?  Everyone has to contend with finding time outside of their jobs, families, health, social obligations, and a ton of other responsibilities.  So when I mentioned to a new acquaintance that I am in the midst of writing two books (“How to Create a Revolution” and “The Expanded Edition:  How to Start Your Business with $100”), working on the Our Revolution Project, and composing an opera for the 140 Characters Conference, they ask me how I could possibly do all that.  What can I say? I am all about effective productivity. There are a ton of things that I do and want to do, but still need and want my free time. Here is a list of tools and resources that I use to be productive: Time Management Tools: Are are some of my favorite tools that you can use to help save time. 1.       Evernote – Whether you are working on a big project or just need a place to organize your upcoming blog posts, Evernote is what I would recommend. The platform (and its Iphone app) are incredibly easy to use and allows [...]

By Ja-Naé Duane | Also posted in Entrepreneurship, Our Revolution! Project, Strategy, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments (0)

50+ Business and Leadership Quotes

April 26, 2011 – 9:35 am
business and leadership quotes janae the freelancer

Have you ever had the morning where two cups of coffee wasn’t even to get you going to tackle the day? The type of morning where your bed is so comfortable that you wonder why you ever leave it to do other things? Yes, it is that type of morning. We all need a little motivation from time to time. One way that always gets me going are quotes that I love. From Vince Lombardi to Lao Tzu, here are 50+ quotes to help kick start your day! 1. “A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves.” -Lao Tzu 2. “Leadership rests not only upon ability, not only upon capacity; having the capacity to lead is not enough. The leader must be willing to use it. His leadership is then based on truth and character. There must be truth in the purpose and will power in the character.” -Vince Lombardi 3. Leadership is a potent combination of strategy and character. But if you must be without one, be without the strategy. – Norman Schwarzkopf 4. The golden rule for every business man is [...]

By Ja-Naé Duane | Also posted in Innovation, Marketing, Strategy, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Comments (0)

Together We Can Do It

April 25, 2011 – 11:42 am
janae social influencer together we can

Far too often, this attitude of “we can do it” is missing from teams and communities. People feel that they are all alone and they have to do it themselves. I find that many people shy away from working together because they have been taken advantage of in the past and were left to do most of the work. Some people shy away because they disagree with where a project is going and feel that it is easier to just give up on it. Or to be honest, it is just easier to have it be someone else’s problem and have them take care of it. Do any of those sound familiar? One of the most interesting things that I found while on the Our Revolution Road Trip was how the members of each community would collaborate. Some communities naturally went across industries and sectors in order to work together. While other communities had five or six groups doing their own thing, but with a ton of overlap. Anything worth doing is worth it because it’s important and the odds are usually stacked against you. However, people find more success when they work as a team, find the compromise and [...]

By Ja-Naé Duane | Also posted in Happiness, Our Revolution! Project, Strategy, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Comments (0)

How to Create a Talented Team

April 15, 2011 – 8:53 am
janae creating a team work culture

I was talking with my friend Kathy over lunch who had a clever idea for a business but did not believe she had the skills necessary to execute it.  This made me think of how most people believe successful people are multi-skilled individuals with jack-of-all trade talents and abilities.  But the truth is one of the most ubiquitous trait of a successful business owner is being able to find and keep the right people for the right jobs. Successful businesses attract the right talent.  Therefore, becoming a talent magnet should be at the top of every manager’s list.  Here are three habits you should cultivate in order to create a team of talented individuals: 1.       Build relationships with talented people before you need them.  Don’t wait until you need someone with a specific skill before engaging with such a person.  For example, you might be able to handle your own accounting now, but when your business grows you’ll want a talented and reliable accountant to handle that end of your business.  Never stop networking in your industry.  Determine who has the talent are and what inspires them about their work.  Cultivate these relationships early because they will come in handy [...]

By Ja-Naé Duane | Also posted in Entrepreneurship, Strategy, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

Productivity 101: How to Run a Meeting

April 14, 2011 – 9:20 am
productivity 101 janae the freelancer

I ran into an old friend at a recent networking event who has worked at an office for many years.  Probably his biggest complaint about the business world is the constant meetings.  How often do we hear about meetings where nothing is accomplished and everyone feels like they wasted their time?  It’s become an office cliché.  There’s even a website called meetordie where you can determine just how much money a business wastes on an unproductive meeting. But, believe it or not, meetings were originally intended to serve a purpose.  And, whether we like it or not, meetings are a necessary evil for just about any business to get work done. However, that doesn’t mean we can’t improve on the concept of meetings and make them valuable to you and your attendees.  Follow these four steps to make your meetings more meaningful: 1.       The fewer the better.  Getting everyone’s input can be valuable, but when time is of the essence it just isn’t worth it to invite that guy who works in the mail room.  Keep attendance limited to just the people who are directly involved in the meeting’s objectives.  Before sending out the meeting memo, ask yourself if all [...]

By Ja-Naé Duane | Also posted in Entrepreneurship, Marketing, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments (0)

How to Get Paid

April 13, 2011 – 8:50 am
starting a business the freelancer how to get paid janae

My buddy Luke is having trouble collecting from a client of his.  The client wants him to continue doing work, but has not paid him for the work he has already done.  As a freelancer, every single dollar means the world to him.  Like many small business owners, Luke has to feed his family at the end of the day. Has this ever happened to you? Does it still. Well, you are absolutely not alone. Most of the entrepreneurs that I know deal with this in one form or another. Even me. So, when you’re trying to do the right thing by your client and still keep yourself in business, where is the line drawn? What could you have done even before the work began? Mike Monteiro doesn’t mess around when it comes to collecting payment.  In his Creative Mornings video, “F*ck You.  Pay Me” he shares some hilarious insight into his strategies for collective payment for creative service industries. Check it out: 2011/03 Mike Monteiro | F*ck You. Pay Me. from SanFrancisco/CreativeMornings on Vimeo. Here are some familiar and irrational excuses he’s heard from clients. Do any of them sound familiar: “We ended up not using the work” “Really [...]

By Ja-Naé Duane | Also posted in Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Marketing, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (0)

How to Fail

April 12, 2011 – 8:48 am
how to fail janae ja-nae

I have a friend who has acquired many different skills, from automobile repair to computer programming.  One time when I asked him where he learned so many skills, his answer was simple – he taught himself through “trial and error.”  He allowed himself to fail until he learned the skill. This has made me think a lot about failure and how important it is to allow yourself to fail.  All of my successes have come from failure.  Projects never end up the way I originally intend, people who seemed like they could be accountable could not, and businesses took longer to make a profit than I had anticipated. But the English language has made us equate failing with being a failure, when in fact failing is necessary in order to succeed. If we never allow ourselves to fail, then, unless we are born perfect, we’ll never attempt to learn or do anything that risks failure.  When I started my first business, I made many mistakes and “failures” before I got it right.  I didn’t give up or get discouraged because I understood that failing was just a step towards success.  And I was right. In order to succeed, you must [...]

By Ja-Naé Duane | Also posted in Entrepreneurship, Marketing, Strategy, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments (1)

How to Minimize Risk

April 11, 2011 – 10:06 am
starting a business minimize risk janae

This morning, I spoke to a group of women entrepreneurs over breakfast.  After the talk, one of them came up to me and asked how I assess risk. She disclosed that she had a few businesses and they have never really taken off the way she thought they would. She asked me what I would do if I was in her situation. That’s easy for me to answer, because I’ve been in that situation many times!  There are a ton of ideas that I thought would be good project and ventures – and they just weren’t.  I’ve had ideas crash and burn just like everyone.  It’s all part of the process and it led and led to a lot of trial and error (and a loss of money). Fortunately, I have learned from these experiences and developed a system for what businesses I start and how I invest in them.  And now you can benefit from my mistakes and experience by following my rules: 1. Less is More. When I am assessing a new product or service, I determine the value of the minimum product or service I can create to shop around.  How can I bundle the most minimal version [...]

By Ja-Naé Duane | Also posted in Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Strategy, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments (2)

Is Success Attainable?

April 8, 2011 – 8:49 am
janae starting a business attainable success

My good friend Chuck is a big ideas guy.  You know, one of those guys who has about 15 fantastic ideas a day.  But when he starts to implement them, he often stops suddenly, usually right before the work finally pays off.  Why?  Maybe it’s a loss of interest, or new projects come up, or it’s just a lack of follow-through required to be successful.  So, when we sit down and talk, he wonders why he isn’t as successful as he thinks he should be and cannot understand why. Sound familiar?  Maybe like someone you know or are. Allow me to let you in on a big secret that I have learned through my own countless trial and error.  Successful people do not necessarily have some incredible talent, skill, or ability that makes them a success.  They simply have learned to deal with the biggest obstacle in the way of success, themselves. Why does Chuck, and a lot of people you and I both probably know, so often abandon big ideas when they are so close to completion?  The reason might be because of how we feel about our goals and dreams.  Dreaming of success makes us feel better about [...]

By Ja-Naé Duane | Also posted in Entrepreneurship, Strategy, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments (3)