September 14, 2010 – 10:26 pm
In an age of instantaneous communication, web and video conferencing and powerful online collaborative and project management tools, the home office has become THE office for more and more people. And, of course, many entrepreneurs and small business owners especially start off working from home. Not only is it a great way to keep costs down when starting your business with limited cash flow, working from home can also be a productive and flexible work option, too. What’s more, working from home allows for greater control of consumption and energy use—an added karmic point that makes the deal even sweeter. As an entrepreneur on the go splitting my time between two states and a plethora of projects, I’ve become a pro at working from home (and the coffee shop, and the car, and park benches in between meetings, and … you get the idea) and I’ve decided to share some insight. Here is part one of my top 50 favorite ways to save money while working from home that are also good for the environment… Never underestimate the value of your work—tap your social networks to pose a trade of a few hours of your time and services in exchange [...]
By Ja-Naé Duane
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Posted in Business Tools, Entrepreneurship
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Also tagged business, eco friendly, entrepreneurs, environmentally conscious, green business, home-based business, Moms work from home, saving money, saving tips, tips for saving money, wahm, work from home, working from home
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In a recent Telegraph Finance article, Daniel H. Pink raises the taboo question of, “Is it okay for a businessperson to question their ability to achieve a particular goal?” Thankfully, he does so using the adorable Bob the Builder as a model entrepreneur for the humble and self-reflective businessperson. In my experience as a life coach and home-based business mentor, I find that it is a fine line to walk between encouraging freelancers, entrepreneurs, and home-based businesspeople to think positively/dream big and helping burgeoning entrepreneurs set achievable goals in the midst of starting their own businesses. This same conundrum is present in various leadership arenas as well: I want to encourage my team without allowing them to set unrealistic expectations. My advice to those with similar dilemmas: your choice of words and tone to colleagues and team members should encourage positivity and self-reflexivity. Instead of asking whether or not something can be done, ask questions that encourage a scaffolded approach to a project or goal. Questions like, “How can you achieve ‘X’” or “Is there a way to reach ‘X’ in the timeframe we are allowing ourselves?” are better alternatives than, “So do you really think you can do ‘X’?” [...]
We all need inspiration. Becoming an entrepreneur and starting a business, as well as growing it into a successful small business takes a lot of blood, sweat, and tears. If you’re on this road, then here are some business and leadership quotes that may help you along the way. 1. “The art of leadership is saying no, not yes. It is very easy to say yes” -Tony Blair 2. “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 3. “The key to successful leadership today is influence, not authority.” -Ken Blanchard 4. “You do not lead by hitting people over the head – that’s assault, not leadership.” -Dwight D. Eisenhower 5. “A good leader is not the person who does things right, but the person who finds the right things to do.” -Anthony T. Dadova 6. “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” -John Quincy Adams 7. “Leadership is a combination of strategy and character. If you must be without one, be without the strategy.” -Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf 8. [...]
By Ja-Naé Duane
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Posted in Business Tools, Entrepreneurship, Strategy, Uncategorized
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Also tagged entrepreneurial, entrepreneurs, how to start a business, how to start a business with $100, leaders, leadership, quotes, start a business, starting a business
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Sounds ironic, huh? For me, the benefits of outsourcing menial tasks to other professionals are clear – outsourcing saves me time and allows me to work on more substantive projects. Outsourcing also utilizes someone else’s expertise, offering me professional-looking outputs. But of course, if outsourcing is not done correctly, it can lead to mayhem. The person to whom I’ve outsourced my work can go missing-in-action. The company to whom I’ve outsourced my presentation hasn’t gotten the final product to me by the deadline. That is why I, and many other entrepreneurs, have chosen to enlist the help of an outsourcing broker. Outsourcing brokers (the art of outsourcing brokerage is often referred to as Outsourcing Relationship Management or ORM. They serve as middlemen/women between you and the service provider. They can set entrepreneurs up with the right contractors to help ensure a good fit and to help manage the working relationship. They also help with any problems that might pop up. Outsourcing brokers can offer a great deal of comfort to the businesses that use their services. One outsourcing broker that believes small business can, and should, utilize outsourcing services is Janeeva™. Janeeva™ charges an up-front consulting fee, and gives their [...]
Entrepreneurs and/or those of you who are starting a business: You may not realize it but every Industry has an ebb and a flow. When your industry has a slow period, do you take advantage of it? If not, here are two ways when you can do just that: Surveys and polls – Use this time to see what your customers really want and need. Why not conduct one during the holiday sales season and announce the results during the slow week? You can even submit the polls and surveys to PR outlets. This way, you find out what your customers REALLY want AND you get PR out of it. Trends – Have you seen a trend these past few month? Was there something that flew off your shelves that you didn’t expect to? Look at your sales and reevaluate what you are offering your customers. Though these are small things, they can yield buid ROI’s for your company.
Thank you to everyone who commented on my social media metrics post a few weeks back. Some of you are entrepreneurs with home-based businesses, some are running small businesses, while some of you have your corporate leaders wondering, “How are we measuring social media“. Do you fall into any of these categories? Then watch my video and let me know what you think:
By Ja-Naé Duane
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Posted in Business Tools, Entrepreneurship, Marketing, Strategy, Uncategorized
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Also tagged business, entrepreneurs, Marketing, measuring social media, social media basics, social media tools, starting a business
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Are you an entrepreneur or a small business who has a website in which you are trying to sell someting? Have you ever wondered if your copy is making the grade? A successful marketer – in every setting from a small home-based business to a large corporation – relies heavily on the pulling-power of copy. Writing result-oriented copy can be a challenge, as it must appeal to, entice, and convince your consumers to take action and buy now! However, consumers will only engage if you are speaking their language. If you want to be a successful entrepreneur, you will talk about customers, identify their wants and needs, and be able to describe how your product or service is going to solve a problem that customers have. The WeWe Monitor will help you do just that. This free analysis copy will look at your copy and let you know if you are engaging your consumer or if you are rambling on about yourself again. It tells you how many words are consumer oriented and will tell you how many times you talk about yourself. To check it out, click HERE. I know that I was surprised by the results that I [...]
These days, learning social media basics can be as easy as reaching out to your email contacts and Twitter followers. But not everyone utilizes a real social media strategy, nor do they implement their brands while using social media. This is the difference between entrepreneurs whose social media outreach is effective, and those entrepreneurs who are not as successful. Even more than branding and strategy, at the core of successful social media is the inclusion of useful, personalized content. When people decide to engage with you, they share personal information with the expectation that you will do so as well. No pressure, right? The good news is you can give them what they want and you don’t have to be a professional writer to do it. Here are three easy ideas to make writing content that everyone will want to read: 1) Tell a Story: All of us are driven by emotional drivers. People connect to stories that they can relate to, and will continue to return to your blog, Twitter account, or Facebook page if they know that they can count on you for that same line of connection. In fact, this Harvard Business Review Article, reasserts the power [...]
By Ja-Naé Duane
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Posted in Business Tools, Entrepreneurship, Marketing, Strategy, Uncategorized
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Also tagged entrepreneurs, how to start a business, Ja-Nae, social media 101, social media basics, starting a business, working from home
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In my line of work, I spent a lot of time with leaders, entrepreneurs, social media strategists and freelancers who work from home. Does that sound like your crew? And we’ve all heard people say “I have a system”. That system can be anything from a way of losing weight to getting that to-do list done. What’s nice about them is that systems help take the frustration out of daily living. They help you do what you WANT to do in an easier, more consistent way. A system practically does the work for you. Here are 3 EASY every day systems that will help you get things done: #1. Top 3 Things That Will Make the Most Impact: Make a list of everything you have to do. Then figure out what are the top 3 things that you could do that would make the biggest impact. Make sure you absolutely do those 3 things. If you get to the others items on your list, then it’s an added bonus! #2. Make an Appointment with Your To-Do: When we schedule appointments, we put them in our calendars and treat them with a little more seriousness. So, do the same with items [...]
Entrepreneurs, small business owners, stay at home moms (and dads) and professionals with a 9 to 5 workweek say the same thing to me: There isn’t enough time in a day. Because there are only so many hours in the day, you need to maximize your profit-making activities through every possible resource. Passive Income (PI) can best be described as a source of profits that are yielded through very little effort on your part. Passive Income should be seen as a supplemental income source – NOT as a primary income source. As I explain in How to Start Your Business with $100, PI is important not only for the sake of increased profits but also for marketing, networking, and strategic partnering. One of the most common forms of passive income are affiliate marketing programs. Affiliate programs are incredibly fruitful for small businesses. One way that I’ve utilized affiliate programs is through the Wild WE website; I’ve identified partners that may be useful to Wild WE members, and provided a link to these partners’ websites from the Wild WE homepage. In return, the Wild WE received space on partner websites as well. Affiliate Scout, an extensive directory of affiliate programs, is [...]
By Ja-Naé Duane
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Posted in Business Tools, Entrepreneurship, Marketing, Uncategorized
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Also tagged business, entrepreneurs, how to start a business, how to start your, outsource, outsourcing, passive income, social media 101, social media basics, starting a business, work from home, working from home
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