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
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Posted in Business Tools, Entrepreneurship, Strategy, Uncategorized
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Also tagged business, entrepreneurs, home-based business, how to start a business, leadership, the freelancer, wahm, working from home
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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 [...]
April 11, 2011 – 10:06 am
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 [...]
January 25, 2011 – 9:26 am
When you have a traditional, corporate job, deadlines are created by your responsibilities and obligations to your bosses, partners, and associates. But when you are an entrepreneur with your own home business, the only deadline is death. Hopefully, that is a long ways off; but that just makes it harder to discipline yourself to look at the big picture of your life and how you spend your time.
November 10, 2010 – 9:12 am
I bet we’ve all had our fair share of dates who give off mixed signals. They hold your hand, look deeply into your eyes, kiss you goodnight—and then you never hear from them again. Or that friend who always seems excited to see you, but consistently declines your lunch invitations. It can leave your head spinning. Unfortunately, this is a problem in business, too, with clients who tell you one thing but expect something totally different. In today’s podcast, “Are You Sending Mixed Signals?”, I ask you to take a look inward to see if you are guilty of giving off a confusing message. I’d like to hear from you! What do you do when you receive mixed signals from someone? Connect with Ja-Naé on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook ______________ Looking to start a business or own a small business? Please consider reading my book, How to Start Your Business with $100. You should find what you’re looking for.
By Ja-Naé Duane
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Posted in Entrepreneurship, Podcasts
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Also tagged business, entrepreneurs, freelance, freelancers, freelancing, home-based business, starting a business, wahm, women and entrepreneurs, working from home
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November 1, 2010 – 9:01 am
I cannot stress enough how essential it is to build company culture. In fact, whether you’re a new small business entrepreneur or an old hat at running a business, this is one of the most important things to focus on. Your company culture is directly tied to your brand, and it affects people’s perceptions about your brand. In today’s podcast, “Simple Ways to Build Company Culture”, I talk about how this can make or break your business. When you think about company culture, what are some of the first things that come to mind? Join the conversation by leaving me a comment today. Connect with Ja-Naé on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook ______________ Looking to start a business or own a small business? Please consider buying my book, How to Start Your Business with $100 because it will save you thousands of dollars and you should find what you’re looking for.
By Ja-Naé Duane
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Posted in Business Tools, Entrepreneurship, Marketing, Podcasts
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Also tagged brand, Brand identity, brand image, business, business podcast, company culture, leaders, leadership, Marketing, starting a business
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October 25, 2010 – 10:36 am
It’s crazy how many small business owners I meet who are paralyzed by their fears. Do I know enough to start a business? Will I be able to feed my family while I’m launching my freelance career? Am I making a good impression at networking events? Believe me, I have been in your shoes, and in today’s podcast, I talk about the small steps that helped me to move forward past my fears. What fears have been holding you back? What are some of your tips for pushing past that paralysis we all have felt at one time or another? Join the conversation by leaving a comment below! Connect with Ja-Naé on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook ______________ Looking to start a business or own a small business? Please consider reading my book, How to Start Your Business with $100. You should find what you’re looking for.
October 12, 2010 – 1:01 pm
For business owners, the need for excellent Powerpoint presentations while soliciting partners is crucial for success. As entrepreneurs, we need to know our audiences before creating presentations to address them, and then we must create a show that will actively engage them. While many of us may display the creative drive to make an interesting Powerpoint, finding the right images, organizing them, and tailoring them to each specific you are trying to reach can be time consuming. As I mention in my book, “How to Start Your Business with $100”, this may be one of those areas it’s best to outsource. Listen to “Who’s Designing Your Podcasts?” for suggestions on creating the best professional Powerpoints you can. So, who will you have design your Powerpoints? Leave your recommendations below! Connect with Ja-Naé on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook ______________ Looking to start a business or own a small business? Please consider buying my book, How to Start Your Business with $100 because it will save you thousands of dollars and you should find what you’re looking for.
By Ja-Naé Duane
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Posted in Business Tools, Creativity, Entrepreneurship
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Also tagged artist, business, Creativity, entrepreneurs, freelance, freelancer, freelancers, how to start a business, how to start a business with $100, how to start your business with $100, imagination, outsource, outsourcing, starting a business, women and entrepreneurs
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October 11, 2010 – 7:36 pm
As you may know, last week we kicked off the Biz100 Tour: 100 Events for Starting and Growing Your Business. We had a great response and I want to give a special thanks to our first guest presenter, Dave Weineke. I now feel like an analytics nerd because of the wealth of information he shared. Since we have a ton of events ramping up, I will give an update every Sunday (in this case, Monday) of what to expect in the week ahead. Here are this weeks events. Check them out: Tuesday, October 12th: How to Outsource Your Accounting Wednesday, October 13th: 7 Reasons Why Small Business Need to Have Fun Thursday, October 14th: How to Find a Project Manager Friday, October 15th: How to Outsource Your Powerpoints Friday (all day): Q and A on LegalZoom’s Facebook wall Saturday: PodCamp Connecticut Saturday: Live Stream of “How to Start Your Business with $100” Special Thanks to our webinar sponsor, ReadyTalk.com. They’ve been a sponsor for years and I cannot recommend them enough. Love those guys! If you would like to follow the events or ask a question, here’s some info you will want to know: My Facebook Profile Facebook Fan Page [...]
October 4, 2010 – 12:44 pm
When I started my own business, one of the challenges I faced was how to effectively use social media to build a community around my brand. And that was before the Facebook-Twitter explosion! Now, with so many social media opportunities, it can seem a daunting task to the small business owner to create and grow a following. This is especially true for freelancers, whose services may appeal to a small níche audience. For my inaugural podcast to kick off my “How to Start Your Business with $100” Book Tour, I discuss “Ways to Build a Community”. Have a listen below, try out my suggestions, then let me know how it goes by leaving a comment. Hope to see you on my tour! Remember to check out my companion blog, The Biz100 Tour, for tour dates and special announcements.
By Ja-Naé Duane
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Posted in Business Tools, Entrepreneurship
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Also tagged entrepreneurs, freelance, freelancer, freelancers, home-based business, how to start a business, how to start a business with $100, Ja-Nae, social media, social media 101, social media basics
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